
s 




LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 


Shelf 

























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Donald Grant. 


Page 6. 


Frontispiece. 







Donald Grant’s Development. 


BY 

J. MACDONALD OXLEY, 

M 

Author of “Bert Lloyds Boyhood “ Up Among the Ice Floes," etc . 




/ 


PHILADELPHIA I 

AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY, 
1420 Chestnut Street. 




VO 

„ 


£0 

O 


Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1892, by the 
AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY, 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 




QJOt.. 




CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

CHAPTER I. 

The Home at Rivervale,. 5 

CHAPTER II. 

The Crossroads School,.16 

CHAPTER III. 

Teachers and Teachers,.26 

CHAPTER IY. 

The Village Academy,. .... 37 

CHAPTER V. 

Making His Way,.48 

CHAPTER VI. 

A Worthy Victory,.59 

CHAPTER VII. 

From Scholar to Teacher,.69 

CHAPTER VIII. 

The Smoothing of the Way,.80 

CHAPTER IX. 

The Prophet in His Own Country,.91 

CHAPTER X. 

The Turning of the Tide,.101 

CHAPTER XI. 

A Successful Experiment,. Ill 


3 














4 


CONTEXTS 


PAGE 

CHAPTER XII. 

Leaving the Nest,.122 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Novel Surroundings,.132 

CHAPTER XIV. 

A Good Start at the University,.143 

CHAPTER XV. 

Settling Down to Work,.154 

CHAPTER XVI. 

The Winning of the Debate,.165 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Into A Larger Life,.177 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

A New Sphere of Activity,.189 

CHAPTER XIX. 

The Institute at Work,.201 

CHAPTER XX. 

Honors on a New Field,.213 

CHAPTER XXI. 

A Timely Service,.224 

CHAPTER XXII. 

A Young People’s Church,.230 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

The Close of the College Year,.234 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

Home Missionary W t ork, .239 

CHAPTER XXV. 

By Way of Conclusion,.247 
















DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


CHAPTER I. 

THE HOME AT RIVERVALE. 

S OME six miles inland from where the lower North 
River mingles its sweet brown flood with the salt blue 
tides of Bay view Harbor, in the Province of Acadia, two 
roads meet upon the western bank, and combining into 
one are carried by a long, gray wooden bridge across the 
placid stream and fertile interval to the farther side, 
where the way continues on up the rounded slope of the 
hill until it vanishes in the woods that crest the summit. 

Just at the junction of the roads and commanding the 
parting ways, stands the settlement bearing the name, as 
appropriate as it is attractive, of Rivervale. It is not a 
large settlement. A general store, a carriage-maker’s 
shop, and a forge, with their attendant homes, barns, and 
outbuildings, constitute its centre, while scattered along 
the roads leading to it, at wide intervals, are the farm¬ 
houses, each in the midst of its own grounds, yet in a 
certain sense connected with the others. There are few 
more charming landscapes to be found in the Acadian prov¬ 
ince than the vicinage of Rivervale presents, and certainly 

5 



6 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


none of the houses in the settlement had a more delightful 
situation than that occupied by the dwelling of Grant, 
the carpenter, so designated in order to distinguish him 
from his neighbor, Grant, the blacksmith, of whom we 
shall speak more presently. 

It was a white cottage built against the slope of the 
river bank in such a way that, whereas on the water side 
it looked quite imposing with its two full stories and a 
half, on the land side it showed a story less. The front 
door faced the road, and as is the case in so many rural 
homes, was rarely ever opened. The back door opened 
upon a rather unkempt little garden leading down to the 
interval through which the river glided silently on to the 
sea. Across the interval and above the river, the bridge 
stretched its gaunt length, its trusses and abutments full 
of fascination for the boys, who seemed never to weary 
of climbing about them as agile and fearless as monkeys 
in their native forest, or diving from their lower courses 
into the dark brown pools slumbering at the abutments’ 
feet, or of enacting the perilous part of Blondin, as they 
walked with cautious feet along the hand-rail, or even 
essayed the topmost stringer when their reckless mood 
was at its height. 

Throughout the length of the North River valley the 
soil is fertile and quick to give good returns to those who 
cultivate it diligently, so that there always has been much 
comfort among the residents, even if little actual wealth. 
The various farmhouses, each surrounded by its dark 
green grove of apple and pear trees, are well built and 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


7 


roomy, as indeed they have need to be; for there are few 
of them that do not shelter a whole tribe of boys and 
girls. 

This was as much the case twenty years ago as it is to¬ 
day, and the white cottage of Grant, the carpenter, had 
no reason to be ashamed, for it held its due share of 
young people. There were seven of them in all, six 
boys, with capacities for consuming food and wearing out 
clothes, and one girl, the baby and pet of the family. 
This large family often filled their father with keen 
concern, for his business did not bring him very large 
returns. 

Hugh, the eldest son, was the father’s boy in form and 
features; tall and thin, with black hair, sallow skin, and 
a gentle, almost shrinking, manner, although there gleamed 
in his eye when much provoked a fierce flash that be¬ 
tokened there was a limit to his patience which it might 
not be safe to overstep. Quite as a matter of course, as 
soon as he learned all that the little school at the cross¬ 
roads could teach him, he took his place beside his father 
in the shop. Attentive, careful, steadfast, he soon became 
a valuable assistant, although, as so often happens with 
the quiet, unobtrusive kind, he was not appreciated at 
home as fully as he deserved. 

Donald came next, and in him was a remarkable 
blending of the characters of both his parents. Like 
his father, his hair and eyes were black ; but like his 
mothers, the former was crisp and curly, and the latter 
expressive of determination and high spirit; for Mrs. 


8 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


Grant was a proud, ambitious woman, whose hope in life, 
so far as material advancement went, had been far from 
realized, and who now sought to comfort herself by the 
expectation that among her flock of boys there was one, 
at least, who would win the prize her husband had some¬ 
how missed. 

Of the six, Donald seemed in her eyes to promise the 
best, and if she permitted herself to have a favorite it was 
he. In height he stood only half an inch less than Hugh, 
but his figure, instead of being thin, was well filled out and 
pleasantly symmetrical. His complexion was a light 
olive with warm patches of color in his cheeks, and his 
features, although not strictly regular, harmonized enough 
to entitle him to be considered a good-looking boy. 

In his mental make-up there was the same combination 
of father and mother. Abounding in spirit and energy, 
brave almost to the verge of recklessness, he nevertheless 
had a good spice of his father’s caution, and generally 
had the good sense to know when to retire from a false 
position. All his mother’s ambition had descended to 
him. With each year of growth his horizon widened, 
until by the time he was fifteen, his outlook went far 
beyond the bounds of Rivervale. The plane, the sledge¬ 
hammer and the scythe were alike distasteful to him. 
He would be a worker with his head rather than with his 
hands, and would keep himself ever ready for the oppor¬ 
tunity which his mother, who sympathized in all his 
aspirations, assured him would infallibly come. 

After Donald was Charlie, a blue-eved, golden-haired, 


DONALD GRANINS DEVELOPMENT. 9 

rosy-cheeked chap, the handsomest, merriest member of 
the family. A romping, reckless, impulsive character 
was Charlie; a leader in every form of mischief, and 
able, in some mysterious way, to influence the self-con¬ 
tained Hugh more than any of the others. He and 
Donald were particular friends. Their very difference 
of disposition seemed to draw them closer together, and 
they were well-nigh inseparable. 

The desire of Charlie’s heart was to go to sea, but in 
this he had the sympathy of neither parent. His father 
wished him to learn blacksmithing. His mother was not 
particular whether he learned that or farming, so long as 
he did not leave Rivervale; for, with a mother’s sure 
intuition, she realized that his nature was one that would 
render him peculiarly open to the temptations of the 
world, and in no calling would he be more exposed to 
such danger than in that of the sea. For the present, 
the parental influence was strong enough to keep him at 
home, where he attended school or helped at the forge 
pretty much as he pleased, his father deeming it wise not 
to curb him too strictly, lest he should be tempted to run 
away, as so many boys had done before him. 

Next to Charlie came Duncan, a small, soft-voiced, 
rather sly kind of boy, always on the lookout for number 
one, who had to stand a good deal of ridicule from his 
playmates because of certain feminine characteristics 
that earned for him the nickname of “ Sissy.” 

Then there were the twins—the pride and joy of the 
household ; a pair of plump and lively mischiefs not to 


10 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


be matched in the whole country. Robert and Harold 
were the excellent names given them by their parents, 
which, of course, were promptly cut down to Bob and 
Harry, and a little later on. under the pretence of their 
inability to distinguish one from the other, the boys linked 
the two abbreviations into one, producing a curious com¬ 
pound, “ Bobanharry,” which they applied indifferently 
to both, and to which the youngsters never failed to re¬ 
spond. 

Last of all came the only daughter, a sturdy, solid bit 
of a girl, with a sweet, unselfish nature that saved her 
from being spoiled by the petting she received on all 
sides. Margaret was her name in full, but Meg was what 
they all called her, and it suited her far better than the 
more staid and dignified appellation. 

Although, as has been hinted, Mr. Grant could scarcely 
be called well-to-do, he did manage, by dint of making 
the most of his little farm, to supplement the earnings 
of his carriage-making sufficiently to maintain a com¬ 
fortable home for his large family; and the members of 
it had, upon the whole, about as happy a time of it a3 
any other family in Rivervale. Both Mr. and Mrs. Grant 
held very sensible views as to the management of their 
children. They were firm, without being unduly strict. 
They respected the individuality of each child, and did 
not look for a mechanical uniformity. They did not 
demand from frolicking, thoughtless Charlie the same 
painstaking fulfillment of directions that they never failed 
to receive from sure and steadfast Hugh. 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 11 

“ They are very different from each other, Ellen,” 
said Mr. Grant to his wife, as they were talking together 
one evening after the young people had settled down for 
the night. “ And I am better pleased that it is so than 
if they were all alike. They each have their own good 
points, haven’t they ? ” 

“ Indeed they have, Alec,” was Mrs. Grant’s reply, her 
countenance beaming with mingled love and pride as she 
mentally reviewed her darlings’ various characteristics, 
and found abundant good in each. “At the same time 
I am very glad that Hugh is the eldest, for he will be a 
great help to you as he grows up to manhood, and can 
take some of your work off your shoulders. For indeed, 
Alec dear, I am afraid you do have to work too hard, 
with so many mouths to feed and so many backs to clothe. 
You are getting to have a worn look that I don’t like at 
all.” 

“ Oh, I’m right enough! ” answered Mr. Grant, with a 
reassuring smile. “ I do happen to feel a bit tired to¬ 
night, but that is all.” 

With a half-suppressed sigh, Mrs. Grant rose and began 
to set the room in order, for the boys never failed to dis¬ 
arrange it most completely before betaking themselves to 
bed. The fact of the matter was, she felt a good deal of 
concern about her husband. Although he himself would 
not admit it, he undoubtedly was losing some of the vigor 
and strength that had distinguished him. The end of the 
day’s work always found him very weary, and glad to rest 
quietly at home, whereas not long before he had been 


12 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


fond of dropping in upon his neighbors for a social chat, 
or of having a game of quoits in the open space in front 
of his shop. 

But like a wise woman who had faith in an overruling 
Providence, no less all-merciful than all-powerful, she did 
not suffer these anxious thoughts to weigh too heavily 
upon her heart. In many ways her lot was full of bless¬ 
ing. For instance, while the decorum of Grant the 
blacksmith’s orderly household had never been broken in 
upon by the happy sound of childish voices, the olive 
branches were many about her table. Again, death had 
visited other homes and taken away children as dearly 
loved as her own, while her family circle was unbroken. 

Then, even above these blessings did her soul take 
comfort in the bright promise she read in her boys; foi 
she and her husband had striven to bring them up in the 
fear and admonition of the Lord, and so far, at least, 
their care and prayers seemed not to be in vain. 

Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Grant were rigidly religious. They 
did not, like Squire Stewart, make the Sabbath a day to 
be dreaded by the children because of its dreary solemnity 
and preternatural dullness. They could not help the 
church services being sadly lacking in interest to young 
minds, for good old Dr. Sternhold never dreamed of 
adapting his discourses, which were as lengthy as they 
were erudite and prosy, to comprehensions much below 
that of the squire himself, who sat with rigid dignity in 
his big pew, nodding approval to each point from firstly 
to fourteenthlv. 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 13 

To all the boys except Hugh those Sunday services 
seemed to be a species of purgatory. His gentle, patient 
spirit enabled him to endure them with scarce a wriggle, 
causing the preacher to form a very high opinion of him, 
and when he had opportunity, to pat him approvingly on 
the head and say, with a meaning glance at any of the 
others who happened to be within hearing: “ You have a 
very good boy here, Mrs. Grant. He seems to lose not a 
word of my discourse. It would be well if the rest of 
the boys in the congregation would imitate his most com¬ 
mendable example.” 

Could Dr. Sternhold have seen into Hugh's mind, he 
would have read there an unspoken protest against what 
he felt to be undeserved praise; for, in reality, the sermons 
were to him little better than an unintelligible combina¬ 
tion of words read off from a bulky manuscript, in a dry, 
harsh voice almost entirely devoid of expression. But 
he was altogether too reserved and sensitive to undeceive 
the grand old pastor, who accordingly remained in bliss¬ 
ful ignorance. 

There was, however, one part of the churchgoing that 
the boys really did enjoy, and that was the drive in to the 
village, four miles away, where the church lifted its white 
spire skyward, and then the drive home again, with purg¬ 
atory over for another week. How eagerly they helped 
in catching the horses and harnessing them to the long, 
three-seated express wagon which was required to carry 
the whole family; and how earnestly they contended for 
the privilege of holding the reins while they were passing 


14 DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

through the woods, where the road was so safe that Mr. 
Grant could, without compunction, hand over the reins 
to one of the elder boys, who naturally felt it to be a 
great honor to drive so imposing a team. 

Then after they returned with keen appetites for the 
dinner which would be prepared with all possible expedi¬ 
tion by the bustling mother, there would be the long 
afternoon during which they might do pretty much what 
they pleased, provided they did not indulge in any of 
their weekday sports and pastimes. 

In the evening all would gather in the best parlor, 
where Mr. Grant, with his wife’s co-operation, would hold 
a kind of Sunday-school, giving instruction in the cate¬ 
chism and the Bible, which he sought to make as simple 
and interesting as possible. There was a wonderful dif¬ 
ference between his method and that of Dr. Sternhold; 
for although he could not lay claim to any great degree 
of education, he had a shrewd, observant, retentive mind 
that enabled him to profit to the utmost by such scanty 
advantages as had fallen in his way; and, moreover, he 
possessed a goodly spice of mother wit, that rendered his 
conversation, when natural and unconstrained as it of 
course always was in the bosom of his family, exceedingly 
interesting. He made the heroes of the Bible as real to 
his boys as the heroes of English history. To them Moses 
was no less actual a personage than Alfred the Great; 
and David shared their heartfelt admiration with the 
Black Prince. 

Such was the home in which Donald Grant’s develop- 


DONALD GRANTS DEVELOPMENT. 15 

ment began ; and in order to try and give a clear picture 
of it, this opening chapter has somewhat overrun the in¬ 
tended course of the story, so that in the succeeding 
chapters there must be a certain harking back, that 
everything may be brought into due sequence. As may 
be seen, there was nothing that could be called notable 
about his early surroundings. They were, so to speak, 
eminently commonplace. Yet he showed himself in later 
years to be a young man quite out of the ordinary; 
otherwise, indeed, there would be no justification for this 

record. Therefore- But let the story explain itself 

as it progresses. 



CHAPTER II. 


THE CROSSROADS SCHOOL. 


HE facilities for acquiring an education at Rivervale 



-L were, to say the least, very meagre. The bulk of 
the population in the neighborhood was made up of 
Scotch Roman Catholics, hard-headed, narrow-minded 
folk, who, so long as their sons were proficient in the use 
of the plough and pitchfork, and their daughters skillful 
in the production of good butter and strong yarn, took 
little thought for intellectual attainments, and were quite 
content to do without teaching in any form. 

Of the few Protestants, Squire Stewart was of course 
the most prominent; a fine-looking old man, who had, be¬ 
neath a stern demeanor and a hard voice, as kind and 
generous a heart as there was in the county. His long 
residence at Rivervale, his commanding ways, and his 
wealth had made him a sort of autocrat. He owned the 
general store, and nearly everybody within a radius of 
three miles was “on his books.” He held a clear title to 
thousands of acres of the best land within sight, while his 
mortgages encumbered the titles of a score of the farmers, 
round about, who sometimes found it no easy matter to 
satisfy the squire and the needs of their families at the 
same time. 

He was a Presbyterian of the strictest Old Kirk School, 


16 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


17 


having scanty charity for those who did not belong to 
his particular section of the divine sheepfold. The one 
thing that prevented an intimacy existing between him 
and Grant, the carpenter, that would have been of much 
benefit to both—for they sincerely admired each other’s 
good qualities—was the fact of the latter being a Bap¬ 
tist. The squire never could bring himself to forbear 
doctrinal discussion when they had opportunity for con¬ 
versation together, and however admirably Mr. Grant 
might keep both tongue and temper under control, the 
quiet yet steadfast firmness with which he adhered to his 
own views seemed to enrage the testy old gentleman 
about as much as if he had roared back at him in his 
own style; and the consequence was, no matter how 
gently the discussion might begin, it almost always 
ended in a volcanic explosion. 

While the squire’s children were growing up, there 
had been a schoolhouse in a charming nook on the other 
side of the river, for which he had made it his business 
to see that there was always a good teacher provided, 
usually paying the bulk of the salary out of his own 
pocket. But after his sons and daughters had grown up 
and gone away, all save one daughter who would not 
leave him in his loneliness,—the mother having been for 
many years in the enjoyment of the reward of a saintly 
life,—the squire lost all interest in the school, and after a 
fitful existence it had flickered out altogether. Conse¬ 
quently, when the Grant boys began to approach the age of 
going to school, there was no school to which they could go. 

B 


18 DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

In this emergency Mr. Grant went to the squire and 
laid the case before him. Here surely was a state of 
affairs that ought to enlist his interest and influence. 
The squire listened in grim silence to the carpenter’s 
earnest presentation of the case, and, when he had fin¬ 
ished, giving him a shrewd, sharp glance through his 
gold-rimmed spectacles, asked in his direct tone: 

“ And what kind of a teacher would you like to have, 
Neighbor Grant ? ” 

“As good as could be got, squire,” was the reply. 
“We can’t, of course, pay much of a salary, so I suppose 
we must not put our expectations too high.” 

“ No, indeed, nor keep the school open all the year. 
We can have teaching only through the summer, anyway; 
but that is not what I want. I was thinking that, as it 
would be mainly for the benefit of your boys that the 
teacher would be engaged, you would not be satisfied un¬ 
less he was a Baptist, like yourself—eh ? And let me tell 
you, I will never raise my little finger to get a teacher 
on those conditions.” And having thus delivered him¬ 
self, the old man settled back sternly in his chair, his 
whole expression saying, “That’s my ultimatum; now 
make the best of it.” 

But Mr. Grant seemed in nowise disconcerted by this 
bombshell. Smiling in his pleasantest manner, he leaned 
toward the squire, as he hastened to respond: “ My dear 
squire, I am afraid you think me to be a much more 
narrow-minded person than I really am. I can assure 
you that so long as the teacher is competent for the work, 


DONALD GRANT'S DEVELOPMENT. 


19 


and is a decent, respectable fellow, it will matter not the 
flip of the finger to me whether he be Baptist, Methodist, 
or Presbyterian. For that matter, I am quite content 
that the choice of him should rest entirely with you, and 
then you can satisfy yourself that among other good 
qualities he holds that particular shade of doctrine which 
is held by your especial branch of the Presbyterian 
Church.” 

There was a sly twinkle of humor in Mr. Grant's eye 
as he said this, because the relations between the different 
sections of the Presbyterian Church in Acadia had been 
so acutely strained for years past, that they were much 
more inclined to hold fellowship with other denominations 
than with one another. 

The squire noted the twinkle, but wisely ignored it, and 
with much of the sternness gone out of his countenance, 
said : “ Well, if you leave the matter altogether in my 
hands, I will do my best to help you. We ought to have 
a trustee board formed at once. You, and Grant, the 
blacksmith, and Andy Chesholm, across the river, with 
myself, will be enough. I will see to that.” 

After some further conversation, Mr. Grant went away 
much elated at the success of his application; for what¬ 
ever the squire promised to “ see to ” was as good as done. 
His reputation for keeping his word to the uttermost of 
human power went far beyond the bounds of Bivervale. 

The squire did “ see to it ” with his customary prompti¬ 
tude. The board of trustees as suggested by him was 
duly constituted, the necessary steps taken for the pro- 


20 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


vision of a salary, and finally, as a result of inquiry among 
the students of Chebucto University, situated in the Pro¬ 
vincial capital, the services of a second year student were 
secured for the school at Rivervale. 

Some years previous to the school’s having been given 
up, as already explained, the schoolhouse had been moved 
across the river to a new site at the Crossroads, as the 
junction of the road coming from Upper North River 
with that which led ultimately away out to the north 
shore was always called. Here it was almost in view of 
Grant the carpenter’s cottage, and a bare quarter of a 
mile away, so that there would be no difficulty about 
regular attendance, no matter what the weather. 

Here Hugh and Donald began their schooling under 
Angus McLeod, a tall, gaunt, sober-visaged young man, 
who was duly certified to belong to the strictest school of 
Old Kirk doctrine, held so high in reverence by the squire. 

The two youngsters—for they were but eight and 
seven years respectively—at first entertained feelings of 
profound awe toward their teacher. His solemn manner, 
his deep, harsh voice, and his way of chopping up his 
sentences, made them think he was in a chronic state of 
crossness; and they found going to school rather an 
ordeal until they came to a better understanding of Mr. 
McLeod, which was brought about in this way : 

They were the only Protestant boys in the school, and 
the only ones whose parents had taken the trouble to 
teach them the. alphabet and the multiplication table. 
This knowledge naturally gave them a start over their 


DONALD GRANINS DEVELOPMENT. 


21 


more ignorant schoolmates, which, combined with a cer¬ 
tain innate refinement of manner that they inherited from 
their father, could not fail to especially enlist their 
teacher’s interest and sympathy. He had too much 
shrewd sense to make marked favorites of them ; but 
they soon learned that he was more than their teacher, 
placed over them to lead them through a mechanical 
round of petty tasks in the rudiments of education; he 
was a friend, a counsellor, a guide. He liked Hugh’s 
patient plodding, as he admired Donald’s restless energy. 
In the latter he was not slow to see more promise of a 
genuine student than in the former. Donald was far 
quicker at apprehension than iiis elder brother, nor wa3 
his grasp less enduring. 

“ Eh, Donald, laddie,” he would say, patting the black 
curls, and looking with a kind, brotherly expression into 
the bright, eager eyes, “ye like to think for yourself, 
don’t ye, and to ask questions. I greatly hope you will 
live to get to Chebucto University; for it is just your 
kind they like best to have there.” 

Donald, of course, entirely missed the point of the 
reference to the university; but he did not miss the big, 
grave man’s winning sympathy, and it had it3 inspiring, 
helpful influence upon him, even at that early age. 

The school session lasted only for the summer. In the 
autumn, to Donald’s especial grief, Mr. McLeod had to 
return to his studies. 

“Won’t you please come back again?” he pleaded, 
holding desperately on to his hand a3 he stood at the 


22 DONALD GKANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

roadside waiting for the coach. “ Do please come back 
soon, won’t you?” 

“I cannot just give you my word on it, Donald, lad¬ 
die,” replied Mr. McLeod, lifting the earnest little fellow 
up in his strong arms, “ for we are all in the hands of 
Providence, you know; and then, maybe I won’t be asked 
to come back.” 

“ No fear of that,” broke in Mr. Grant, standing at 
his elbow. “ No tear of that. We want no better 
teacher than you. You’re more than welcome to the 
school for as many summers as you can make it conve¬ 
nient to come to us.” 

“Well, those are very kind words, Mr. Grant,” said 
Mr. McLeod, a bright smile illuminating his face; “ and 
it is pleasant to bear such away. I have tried to do my 
best here, although,” lowering his voice almost to a 
whisper, “ present company excepted, I have had some 
heart-breaking material to work on.” 

Just then the coach rolled into sight. There was a 
brief stoppage to take up the passenger and to exchange 
mail bags, for Grant, the blacksmith, had charge of a way 
post office; and with a crack of the whip and rattle of 
trace chains, the teacher was carried aw r ay, while the big 
tears chased one another down Donald’s plump cheeks. 

During the long winter, the mention of Mr. McLeod’s 
name was sufficient to insure Donald’s diligent attention 
to the lessons his mother set him, and with the opening 
of spring he began to look eagerly for the return of his 
friend. When a letter came from him stating that he 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


23 


would resume his teaching immediately after the closing 
of the university, Donald was as happy as if a fortune 
had been left him. At last, one afternoon late in April, 
the coach on its trip out from the village carried a pas¬ 
senger for Rivervale, and this was none other than 
Angus McLeod returning to his former field of work. 

The warmest of country greetings awaited him at the 
home of Grant, the carpenter, and in a few days the 
little Crossroads school was running again just as though 
it had not been asleep for more than six months. He 
was glad to find that neither Hugh nor Donald had for¬ 
gotten in the winter what they had learned in the sum¬ 
mer, as was the case with the most of their schoolmates. 
Thanks to parental assistance, they had decidedly gained 
ground, and Mr. McLeod felt so proud of them that, 
calling them up to his desk one morning, he put them 
through a thorough examination to which the whole 
school was called upon to listen; and then, in a sudden 
burst of indignation, cried out: “There, boys and girls, 
doesn’t that make you ashamed of yourselves? You 
might at least have managed to keep in your heads what 
I taught you last summer, even though you added noth¬ 
ing to it. But now, with most of you, I have to begin 
all over again.” 

There was a new pupil from the Grant household this 
summer, viz: Charlie, rejoicing in six full years. He at 
once proved himself a most amusing and exasperating 
scholar. As bright as a button, he was also as merry as 
a cricket, and seemed to believe that his special mission 


24 DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

was to set his schoolmates to giggling. Had he been 
older, Mr. McLeod, of course, could have taken stern 
measures with him and enforced good behavior upon him; 
but he was as tiny as he was merry, and he had such an 
innocent, babyish face that it was impossible to deal with 
him as he deserved. So he was assigned a seat between 
his two brothers, and they were charged with keeping 
him in order, which difficult feat they managed to per¬ 
form fairly well. 

It was a curiously constituted little school, as has been 
already mentioned. All the pupils but the Grant boys 
came from Roman Catholic families, and the majority of 
them were far more proficient in the use of Gaelic than 
of English. Gaelic was the language of the fireside; and 
although they were all eager to learn English because 
they knew they would otherwise be at a great disadvan¬ 
tage, still, surrounded as they were by others in precisely 
the same situation, their progress could not fail to be 
slow. At the school, their attempts to pronounce the 
English words and to answer questions in English would 
have been highly amusing had they not been so pathetic. 

Not a suspicion of a smile did Mr. McLeod ever per¬ 
mit to flit over his face as he gravely listened to their 
uncouth utterances. Their feelings were as sacred to him 
as his own, and if only they would strive to do their best, 
he was ever ready to give them all the assistance they 
could utilize. 

Donald made marked progress during this summer. 
For such a child his application and industry were really 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 25 

marked, and Mr. McLeod felt more and more confirmed 
in his opinion that if the little fellow did reach years of 
maturity, and had anything like an adequate opportunity, 
he would win a place for himself amongst the foremost in 
the land. 

“ I wish I could see twenty years ahead,” he said to 
Donald, “just to see where you will be then. Perhaps you 
will be on the high road to fame, while I’ll be an obscure 
country clergyman, buried in some out-of-the-way place.” 

For still a third summer season was Mr. McLeod able 
to take charge of the Rivervale school. But that had to 
be the last. His course at the university was completed, 
he having graduated with very high honors; and he in¬ 
tended taking a further course of study at Edinburgh 
University. So that under any circumstances, Rivervale 
would not see him again for several years. Before he 
left he wrote a long letter to Donald, urging upon him to 
study just as hard under the new teacher as he had done 
under him, and promising that if it were at all possible, 
he would pay Rivervale a visit on his return to Acadia 
and see how his dear young friends there were getting on. 

Donald was greatly delighted at the receipt of this 
letter. It was written to him just as if he were grown¬ 
up, and it was all for him. After it had been read over 
to him several times, he stowed it away in his most sacred 
hiding place and, better than that, he heeded its good 
counsels. Mr. McLeod's seed fell into good ground, as in 
due time he was to have the satisfaction of seeing for 
himself. 


CHAPTER III. 


TEACHERS AND TEACHERS. 



I OR the next six years there was a different teacher 


-L each summer at Rivervale, and their qualities 
varied greatly. They were all students at the univer¬ 
sity, doing as many did, earning sufficient to carry them 
through the winter by teaching during the summer; and 
they had very diverse ways of looking upon their work. 

To one it was a disagreeable task undertaken simply 
for the sake of the dollars it brought, and without any 
sense of duty toward those who were to be taught; so 
many lessons a day to be gotten through with, and so 
long as this was accomplished with any pretence of ac¬ 
curacy, that was enough. 

Another was irritable and unreasonable. He had no 
consideration for the difficulties under which the Gaelic 
scholars labored, and would even mimic their awkward 
methods of pronunciation, thus making himself intensely 
unpopular among them. Donald came into collision with 
him one day in a manner that left a deep sense of injury 
upon his heart. 

Charlie had been asked a question in the geography 
class, and had answered correctly enough, but in such an 
off-hand way that the teacher, who never listened too 
intently, misunderstood him. 


26 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


27 


“ Wrong! ” he snapped out. “ Go down to the foot! ” 

Now Charlie, by some good fortune, had managed to 
get nearly to the top of the class, and he was very loath 
to lose his honorable position, especially when this fall 
was undeserved; so, raising his head, he piped out: 
“ Please, sir, I’m not wrong; I said ‘ Maine,’ and that’s the 
answer given in the book.” 

“You did not. You said ‘Spain,’ and you need not 
think to deceive me in that way,” retorted the teacher, 
angrily. 

With trembling lip and tearful eyes, Charlie was about 
to leave his place, when Donald, whose seat was in the 
front row, and who had distinctly heard Charlie answer 
“Maine,” sprang up, and looking very indignant, cried 
out: “ Charlie did say ‘ Maine,’ sir. I was right behind 
him, and I heard him.” 

“You were right behind him, and you prompted him 
when he made a mistake,” retorted the teacher. Then, 
turning upon Charlie and raising his ferule,he thundered: 
“ Go down to the foot—do you hear me ?—or I’ll make 
you.” 

Charlie slowly dragged himself down, while Donald, 
in whom an outraged sense of justice overmastered all 
considerations of fear, burst out in a tone audible all over 
the school: “ That isn’t fair! ” 

Hardly were the words uttered than the teacher, in a 
passion of fury, sprang toward him, and seizing him by 
his coat collar, dragged him roughly to the platform, 
where he stood him so that he faced the whole school, 


28 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


now trembling with terror and excitement. Then grasp¬ 
ing the ferule, and holding it ready to strike, he roared 
out in a voice that shook with rage: “ Take that back, 
you rascal, and beg my pardon before the school, or I’ll 
thrash you within an inch of your life.” 

Now, there was not a boy in the school who had the 
courage of his convictions to the same degree as Donald 
Grant; and in this case not only was he absolutely con¬ 
fident of being in the right, but there was added thereto 
a burning sense of the injustice of the teacher’s action, 
which roused in him the very highest spirit of resistance. 
He was only twelve years old, and he looked very help¬ 
less in the hands of the wrathful teacher, but not a word 
came from between his close-shut lips. 

“ Will you take it back ? ” shouted the teacher. “ I’ll 
give you one more chance.” 

Donald shook his head. He could not open his mouth. 

“ Then—take that! ” and the long, black ferule de¬ 
scended with cruel force upon the boy, sending a shock of 
agony through his whole body, and evoking a kind of 
gasp of horror from the scholars looking on with distended 
eyes and bated breath. 

Donald shrank under the blow, and his face grew white 
as marble. Raising the ferule on high, the teacher asked 
again: “ Will you take back what you said, and beg my 
pardon ? ” 

Donald’s colorless lips murmured an inaudible “ No,” 
and, reading his silence aright, the brutal teacher struck 
him again. Six times did he strike the unresisting but un- 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 29 

conquerable boy, and then, his fury having been spent 
sufficiently to allow a qualm of better judgment to make 
itself felt, he threw Donald from him, saying: “There 
now! you won’t forget that lesson in a hurry. Go back 
to your seat.” 

Instead of going back to his seat, Donald, whose eye3 
still showed no signs of tears, went straight down the 
passage-way to the door, and out into the sunlight. Near 
by the school was a hazel thicket. To this he made his 
way, and pushing into the heart of it, threw himself 
down upon a little knoll. Then the pent-up tears were 
given vent, and in sobs that shook his young frame as 
the gale rocks the willows, he sought relief for the ming¬ 
led suffering of body and mind. 

It was the first time he had been punished, and 
although his conscience was pure of wrong, yet there was 
the disgrace, the horrid, though undeserved, disgrace, of 
being beaten like a dog before all his schoolmates. To 
his proud, sensitive nature this seemed even worse than 
the actual bodily pain, excruciating as that was. Oh, if 
Mr. McLeod could only have been there to have taken 
bis part! For he was right—Charlie had answered 
“Maine,” not “Spain,” and for him (Donald) to have 
stated anything else would have been nothing short of 
falsehood. 

When he left the school, the teacher, who now began 
to wish he had not been so passionate and to feel some¬ 
what apprehensive about the consequences, made no at¬ 
tempt to recall him, but said, with an uneasy laugh: “ A 


30 DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

good riddance, indeed ! The fewer we have of that sort 
in this school the better.” 

But he was not to be permitted to dismiss the subject 
so easily as that. When the matter came to Mr. Grant’s 
ear3, he was exceedingly indignant—as well he might be 
—if for no other cause than the cruel marks his boy 
bore upon him. He reported it to the squire, and the 
trustees at once instituted an investigation, at which the 
testimony of the other scholars was so overwhelmingly 
corroborative of the statements of Donald and Charlie, 
that when the inquiry was concluded, Squire Stewart, 
turning to the teacher, said in a tone of unmistakable 
severity: “Now, sir, after what we have heard, there re¬ 
mains but one course open to us, namely, to request from 
you precisely what you sought to force from Donald; 
that is, a taking back of your unjustifiable language, and 
an apology to him for the most undeserved punishment 
you inflicted.” 

The foolish young fellow, although now fully convinced 
of his error, stiffly refused to do either. 

“Then, sir,” replied the squire, in a still severer tone, 
“you may regard your engagement here as cancelled.” 

The same afternoon the teacher, doing his best to 
maintain an expression of indignant innocence, went 
away in the coach; and, as the summer was almost over, 
the trustees thought it best to close the school for the 
season. 

The teacher next year was unlike any of his prede¬ 
cessors. His idea of life seemed to be to get through it 


DONALD GKANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


31 


■with as little trouble as possible. Fat and jovial, always 
ready for a laugb, and apparently never out of temper, 
he presented a striking contrast to the teacher who had 
treated Donald so brutally. Had the scholars respected 
him as much as they liked him, the school would, so to 
speak, have cared for itself; but they stood in no awe 
of him whatever. Consequently the lessons were, for the 
most part, shamefully neglected. But this did not seem 
to trouble him in the least. So long as the lessons were 
scrambled through in some sort of fashion, he was content. 

Yet even his indifference did not chill Donald’s ardor. 
It puzzled him a good deal, and he felt very sure that 
the teacher was not faithfully discharging his duty. But 
he kept right on with his studies notwithstanding; for 
he had begun to look forward to the county academy, 
and was determined to lose no time in getting ready 
for it. 

The following year there came to Rivervale a teacher 
more like Mr. McLeod in spirit than any of the others. 
He was utterly unlike Mr. McLeod in appearance, for 
he was small in stature, slight in build, and delicate of 
feature. Indeed, he seemed so gentle and almost fragile, 
that Squire Stewart wondered if he would answer the 
purpose. There were a good many big boys at the 
school now, rough, noisy young fellows, not unkind of 
heart, but fond of horseplay ; and the new teacher might 
find the task of keeping them in order beyond his 
powers. He said something of the kind to him, but 
Earnest Munroe seemed not a whit daunted. 


32 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


“ I think I will be able to manage them all right, Mr. 
Stewart,” he answered, smiling deferentially. “ I have had 
some previous experience in teaching, you know, and, 
after all, boys are pretty much alike wherever you find 
them.” 

There was something in both his tone and expression 
as he said this that completely dispelled the squire’s 
doubts. 

“ He will keep them in order, never fear,” he remarked 
to Mr. Grant afterward. 

“ There is something in his eye, I cannot say just what 
it is, that shows he’s not to be made game of.” 

The squire was right as usual in his judgment of peo¬ 
ple. When the big boys saw the new teacher first, they 
said to themselves that they would have things pretty 
much their own way under his rule; but they soon 
learned their mistake. Without once making use of the 
ferule or, indeed, inflicting punishment in any form, Mr. 
Munroe established himself in complete command of the 
situation. His gentle, yet firm, voice never failed to meet 
with respectful heed, and under his faithful teaching the 
scholars even began to make up the leeway of the previ¬ 
ous summer. 

Donald was at once strongly attracted to Mr. Munroe, 
and as soon as the latter came to know the boy, the 
liking was mutual. Never since Mr. McLeod had there 
been a teacher with so much sympathy for the scholars’ 
difficulties, with so wise a way of giving assistance, and 
yet letting the pupil do as much as possible himself. 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


33 


Full of ambition as he was to enter the academy that 
autumn, Donald devoted himself to his studies with 
tireless energy. He positively preferred them to his play, 
and his health might have suffered had not Mr. Munroe 
chosen him as his companion in the long walks he loved 
to take in the golden afternoons. At such times, putting 
away all talk about the work of the school, he held Don¬ 
ald enchanted while he discoursed upon the wonders and 
beauties of nature, or the achievements of science, or the 
triumphs of literature. His brain was a perfect store¬ 
house of things worth knowing. He had some knowledge 
of botany and geology, and though he was only twenty, 
had read and digested an amazing number of books. 
He could quote passages of the finest poetry in the English 
language; and, best of all, so far as Donald was imme¬ 
diately concerned, he took keen delight in pouring out 
all the treasures he had acquired for the benefit of an 
appreciative and receptive mind. 

No wonder that Donald fairly worshiped him. He was 
his intellectual hero, and there was nothing he could 
have asked within his power to do that Donald would 
have refused him. As it chanced, Donald had an oppor¬ 
tunity of rendering him signal service ere the summer 
passed. At his earnest solicitation, Mrs. Grant had 
asked Mr. Munroe to their cottage, where indeed he 
would be much more comfortable than boarding among 
Roman Catholics as he was. The teacher had gladly 
accepted, and his gentle, genial presence had proved a 
very welcome addition to the family circle. It was 
c 


34 DONALD GRANT'S DEVELOPMENT. 

noticed that sometimes he seemed very tired after his 
long walks, and the keen, motherly eye of Mrs. Grant 
was often turned upon him with a good deal of con¬ 
cern ; but if anything was said he always turned it off 
lightly. 

One Saturday afternoon in early autumn, he and 
Donald took an unusually long walk far away over the 
hills into the “ back lands,” as they were called, where 
some flowers were to be found that did not grow else¬ 
where in the neighborhood. Mr. Munroe’s stay was 
drawing to a close, and he was anxious to make the most 
of the time still at his disposal. The flowers were found, 
and some fine specimens duly put into press. It was dark 
before the two returned, and they were both evidently 
tired out. Immediately after supper Mr. Munroe went 
to his room, saying he thought he would tumble into bed 
and have a good rest. 

It was shortly before midnight when Donald, sunk in 
the deep, dreamless sleep of an overwearied boy, was 
roused by his father, who stood at his bedside holding a 
light in one hand and shaking him with the other. 

“ Wake up, Donald ! ” he called. “ Wake up, my boy, 
and get into your clothes as quick as you can.” 

With a tremendous effort, Donald burst the bonds of 
sleep, and then his father told him that Mr. Munroe was 
very, very ill; so ill that the doctor must be gotten for 
him at once, and he, Donald, would have to go into the 
village and get him. 

Donald was wide enough awake now. 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 35 

“ Is he so ill? ” he cried, impulsively. “ Can’t I go in 
and see him ? ” 

“ No, Donald,” said his father, “ your mother is with 
him, and there’s not a minute to be lost. As soon as you 
are dressed, go out and saddle Nelson. When you are 
ready, I’ll give you a note for the doctor.” 

Longing for at least one look at his beloved teacher, 
but knowing full well that his father would not hurry 
him off without it unless the emergency was very serious, 
Donald scrambled into his clothes, lit the lantern, hast¬ 
ened to the barn, put the saddle and bridle on Nelson, 
the big black horse, and as he led him up to the door his 
father appeared holding the note. 

“ Now, Donald dear, ride as fast as you dare. Every 
minute is precious. It is a dark night, but both you and 
Nelson know the road by heart. Good-bye. God bless 
you and keep you safe.” 

There was a clatter of hoofs upon the stony road, fol¬ 
lowed by the repeated thunder of their strokes upon the 
resounding timber of the bridge, and Donald was off, 
with four miles of hard riding between him and the 
doctor’s residence. The night was dark as pitch, the 
light of the stars having been blotted out by clouds 
covering the face of the sky, and he wisely made no 
attempt to guide the sagacious animal that bore him. 
He simply kept the reins well in hand in case of a stum¬ 
ble, and let Nelson do the rest. 

On up the hill he dashed at a rapid canter, past 
farmhouses whose only sign of life was the barking of 


36 DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

watch dogs at the sound of the hoof-beats; past herds of 
cattle rising like spectres out of the fields at his sudden 
and startling approach; through dense patches of wood 
where the road seemed like a long tunnel; and over 
corduroy bridges that rattled out their amazement at 
being disturbed in the middle of the night when all 
honest folks should be abed. 

That midnight ride was a sharp test of the boy’s nerve; 
and who can blame him if his heart rose to his mouth at 
times, and he prayed for it to be over ? At length the 
eagerly looked-for sound of Nelson’s hoofs upon a plank 
bridge told him that he had reached the outskirts of the 
village, and a few minutes later he had reined up his 
panting steed before the doctor’s door and was plying the 
knocker with trembling fingers. 

“ If the doctor should be away,” he thought with a 
gasp of sharp anxiety, as he waited for reply. “ He often 
is away all night. I’ve heard him say so to mother.” 


CHAPTER IV. 


THE VILLAGE ACADEMY. 

A FTER what seemed to Donald, in his agony of 
anxious impatience, an inexcusably long interval, 
the window of the doctor’s bedroom was thrown up, and 
his night-capped head appeared, to inquire in a somewhat 
gruff tone: 

“ Who are you? and what do you want? ” 

“I’m Grant the carpenter’s son Donald,” was the 
prompt reply; “ and have a note from father. You are 
wanted at once.” 

“ Very well, I will be down directly,” answered the 
doctor, closing the window. 

In a few minutes he opened the door, drew Donald in, 
and read the note. As soon as he did so his face grew 
very serious. 

“ I am indeed wanted at once. There is not a moment 
to lose.” And he began bustling about his surgery, get¬ 
ting his things together. 

“ Have you a wagon ? ” he asked. 

On Donald answering in the negative, he lit a lantern, 
and hurrying to the barn, saddled and bridled one of his 
horses with the quickness of a practiced hand. 

“Now then, my lad,” he cried, springing into the sad¬ 
dle, “ follow me as best you can.” And with an en- 

37 


38 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


couraging chirk to the fine bay mare that carried him, 
he dashed out into the road and headed for Rivervale. 

Had old Nelson been perfectly fresh, he might have 
held his own with the other horse, but he was blown and 
tired from the four miles’ gallop in the dark, and soon 
fell behind, until Donald could not even hear the sound 
of the mare’s hoofs striking the hard, dry road. 

“ Please, dear God, let the doctor be in time,” he 
prayed with fervent simplicity. 

When he reached Rivervale, he sprang off Nelson, 
leaving the horse to look out for himself, and rushed into 
the house. The first one he met was his mother, just 
coming away from Mr. Munroe’s room, and he panted 
out through trembling lips : 

“Was the doctor in time, mother?” 

“Thank God, yes,” answered Mrs. Grant, bending 
down to kiss his flushed forehead. “ And you deserve 
all the credit for it, my brave boy. Go and lie down 
now. You must be tired out. You will be able to see 
Mr. Munroe in the morning.” 

The good news and his mother’s praise produced a re¬ 
action altogether beyond Donald’s control. He could 
say nothing, but hurrying off to his room, flung himself 
upon his bed and burst into tears. A few minutes later 
he was sound asleep. 

In the morning he was allowed to pay his beloved 
teacher a short visit. He found him extremely pale and 
weak, but as serene as ever. 

“ God bless you, Donald,” he said, softly, holding out 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 39 

his thin, white hand to clasp the boy’s stout, ruddy fist; 
“ you did me a service last night I can never repay. 
But I will never forget it, Donald, and perhaps the 
chance may come for me to prove my gratitude. If ever 
I can be of any help to you anywhere, you won’t hesitate 
to let me know, will you, Donald ? ” 

It was a sudden and severe internal hemorrhage, 
brought on by over-exertion, which had put the teacher's 
life in danger, and Dr. Henderson said that had he reached 
him an hour later he could not have done him any good. 

There was no more school at Rivervale that season; 
but while Mr. Munroe grew steadily stronger under Mrs. 
Grant’s motherly care, Donald continued his prepara¬ 
tions for the academy, Mr. Munroe acting as a sort of 
“ coach ” or tutor; and many delightful hours did they 
spend together over the first book of Euclid, the first part 
of Caesar’s Commentaries, and the other studies that 
would be taken up at the academy. Indeed, under his 
teacher’s inspiring influence, Donald went beyond what 
was actually required for admittance to the academy. 

“Just so much to the good,” Mr. Munroe would say, 
with one of his winning smiles. “ The better prepared 
you are at the start, the easier you will find the work all 
through your course.” 

The academy opened in the latter part of September, 
and although Mr. Munroe had sufficiently recovered his 
strength before then to be able to return home, he wanted 
to see how Donald acquitted himself. The purpose of 
the preliminary examination was twofold: first, to ascer- 


40 DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT, 

tain whether the pupil was qualified to enter the 
academy; second, to determine to what rank or form he 
should be assigned. 

It was held in the head master’s room. Together with 
a number of other boys, Donald presented himself one 
Wednesday morning, decked out in his bravest attire 
which was simple enough, and feeling as nervous and 
downcast as though he were going to his own execution. 
He knew the head master, Mr. Patterson, well enough 
by sight, but had never met him in his official capacity 
before; and he seemed to him little short of appalling in 
his black gown, which he wore only on special occasions, 
his bright eyes flashing out almost fiercely through gold- 
rimmed spectacles, and his bushy black beard wagging 
in an intimidating manner as he talked. 

The examination was partly oral, partly written, and 
the list of subjects embraced the rudiments of Latin, 
geometry, algebra; and then, of course, the regular 
English branches, grammar, history, geography, arith¬ 
metic. In the oral part Donald, once his tongue got into 
working order, did very well. He soon got used to Mr. 
Patterson’s sharp way of questioning and answered very 
satisfactorily. The written part gave him more trouble. 
He had never tried anything of the kind before, and his 
nervousness made him at first put down answers in a 
shaky scrawl that was a caricature of his ordinary hand¬ 
writing, and that did great injustice to his actual know¬ 
ledge. 

Happily, just when his heart was sinking into despair, 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


41 


Mr. Munroe entered the room. Ostensibly he had come 
to say a few words to Mr. Patterson. Perhaps, however, 
with the subtle instinct of true friendship, he had divined 
his pupil’s probable difficulties. He did not speak to 
Donald, but he smiled cheeringlv, confidently at him, as 
though to say: 

“ Do your level best, Donald. Be a credit to me as 
well as to yourself. You can if you will, you know.” 

That smile was Donald’s salvation. It banished his 
nervousness and despondency as the sun puts to flight the 
morning mist. He returned it heartily, and then applied 
himself to his work. How different it appeared to him 
now! The right answers seemed to be on the paper right 
beside the questions, and his pen could hardly fly fast 
enough to copy them out. Without looking to right or 
left, he scribbled away as for very life’s sake, and just as 
the head master announced: “ Four o’clock! Gather up 
and hand in your papers, please,” he wrote the last word 
of his answer to the last question. 

It was very evident that all had not made such progress. 
Some would have liked very much to be allowed another 
hour. Others, although not by any means content with 
their performance, were glad to be relieved from further 
effort. One by one the papers were handed in, and then 
Mr. Patterson announced that the results would be 
declared on Friday morning. 

Out trooped the boys to compare notes of the answers 
they had made to the different questions. But Donald 
did not linger with them. He was impatient to find 


42 


DONALD GRANTS DEVELOPMENT. 


Mr. Munroe and tell him how he had succeeded. He 
soon encountered him on the street, and hastened to 
tell him what good his cheering smile had done at a 
critical time. Mr. Munroe was greatly pleased. 

“ I am sure you have done well, Donald; very well 
indeed. Perhaps, who knows, you will carry off the free 
scholarship. That would be grand, wouldn’t it ? ” 

Donald’s eyes gleamed. It would be grand indeed. 
Not only because of the honor of the thing, but because 
it would spare his father all payments for school fees and 
text-books; and this meant much where dollars were not 
in plenty. 

On Friday morning the two drove into the village to 
learn the results of the examinations. Mr. Munroe had 
his trunk with him, for he intended taking the midday 
coach to Chebucto. Donald was in a fever of excitement. 
He did not venture to put his hopes strongly upon the 
scholarship, but if he only did happen to win it, what joy 
for himself and his family! 

At the academy door quite a crowd of boys had already 
gathered. Some parents were there too, all waiting im¬ 
patiently for the announcements to be made. Presently 
the janitor opened the doors and called out that they 
should go into the head master’s room. In they poured, 
somewhat noisily, and took their seats. When the room 
was quiet, Mr. Patterson proceeded to read in alphabetical 
order the names of those who had succeeded in passing, 
and the name of Donald Grant duly appeared in its 
place. He next indicated the forms to which the success- 


DONALD GKANT^ DEVELOPMENT. 43 

ful candidates would be assigned, and when Donald was 
placed in a more advanced form than any of the others^ 
Mr. Munroe gave him an affectionate grip on the arm, 
whispering: 

“ That looks well for the scholarship, Donald.” 

Then there came a dead silence, during which Donald 
could hear his heart beat. The head master always 
made the most of an important announcement. He 
never hurried about it. At last he was ready, and after 
peering into the faces of the boys before him as if trying 
to recognize one of them, he cleared his throat, and in 
his most imposing manner said : 

“ I have much pleasure in announcing that the schol¬ 
arship annually offered by the trustees of this academy 
has, at this examination, been won by Donald Grant, 
whose answers, both oral and written, were highly credit¬ 
able ; in fact, quite above the ordinary standard. If 
Donald Grant is present, will he please come up to my 
desk?” 

Blushing furiously, Donald somewhat awkwardly made 
his way to the desk, amid a faint round of applause that 
almost at once died away into a murmur of surprise and 
buzz of curious questioning. Who was this stranger 
who had thus intruded and carried off the coveted honor? 
Some were able to answer: “ Oh, he’s one of Grant the 
carpenter’s boys, from out Rivervale way,” whereupon 
there was a scornful sniffing of the air, and a passage of 
supposed-to-be-witty remarks upon his appearance and 
clothing. Poor Donald certainly had made an ill be- 


44 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


ginning if he wished to be popular at the academy. He 
should have been content with third or fourth place at 
the best. The carrying away of the scholarship by a 
youngster from a crossroads’ school was an impertinence 
not to be endured in silence. They would manifest their 
disapprobation at the first opportunity. 

But Donald had no suspicion of this as he stood be¬ 
fore the head master awaiting his pleasure. Rising from 
his seat, Mr. Patterson, with the gracious condescension 
of a royal potentate, extended his hand and shook 
Donald’s gravely. 

“ I am glad to welcome so promising a pupil to the 
academy,” he said. “ You have only to show the same 
diligence and thoroughness in continuing your studies 
that you did in preparing for this examination, in order 
to become an honor to the institution. Here is your 
certificate entitling you to tuition and text-books free. 
On Monday morning you will, with the others, be as¬ 
signed to your classes.” 

As the gathering was dispersing, one or two of the 
smaller boys came up to give Donald a look of hesitat¬ 
ing admiration, and a couple of the older folk said some¬ 
thing congratulatory; but he hurried off with Mr. Mun- 
roe, whose coach would soon be starting. 

“ This was well worth waiting for,” said the teacher. 
“ You have done even better than the best I hoped for 
you-” 

“ All thanks to you, sir,” broke in Donald, giving the 
other’s hand a grateful hug. 



DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


45 


“ Oh, no, Donald, not ally by any means! Of course, I 
helped. Well, I want to say this while I have the chance. 
Your new associates will not like you any the better 
for running off with the scholarship, or for being put 
into the third form at the start. They will no doubt 
try to make it a little uncomfortable for you for a while. 
Now you must be very patient. If you lose your tem¬ 
per, they will gain the very point they want to make. 
Above all things, never complain to any of the masters, 
no matter how much you may be tormented. That is a 
false step. One word more. Make yourself popular 
with the masters. Not by playing courtier, of course, 
but simply by doing exactly what they direct, even 
though they may seem unreasonable or even in error. 
It never pays, Donald, to undertake to bring a master 
to book. They are supposed to be omniscient, you 
know,” Mr. Munroe added, with a quaint smile, “ and it 
is no doubt in the interest of school discipline that the 
supposition should not be rudely disturbed.” 

Presently the coach rattled up to the hotel door. Mr. 
Munroe got into the box seat, and with a cheery “ Good¬ 
bye, Donald, lad, and God bless you, I will write you a 
letter some day,” started on his homeward journey, 
while Donald followed the coach with misty eyes until 
it rolled around the turn of the street and disappeared. 

Then he bethought himself of the dear ones out at 
Rivervale still in ignorance of his success, and he hastened 
to harness up Nelson and to make as good time as possible 
homeward. 


46 DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

What a happy household that was when he burst in 
upon them with the news ! His mother clasped him again 
and again in her arms, murmuring: “My dear, good 
boy! My noble boy! A proud woman this day is the 
one that gave you birth.” 

Here was the first delicious taste of gratified ambition. 
The myriad worries and disappointments that beset her 
were for the nonce swept out of her life, and she gave her¬ 
self up to the unrestrained enjoyment of the honor 
Donald had brought to the family. 

As soon as he could get the boy out of his mother’s 
arms, Mr. Grant hurried over to the squire with him. 
There were several people in the shop, but the proud 
father did not mind them, and dragging Donald forward, 
cried out: “ Squire, Donald’s won the academy scholar¬ 
ship!” 

The squire looked up from his books in some surprise 
at this sudden interruption, and then, at once taking in 
the situation, broke into a hearty smile that lighted up 
his whole countenance. 

“Eh! you don’t tell me? Won the scholarship! 
Good—very good. You are a credit to Rivervale, Donald. 
Come here, my lad.” 

When Donald approached, he patted him kindly on 
the head, saying: “Must be good stuff inside here, eh, 
laddie? Take this with the squire’s blessing, and may 
luck be with you.” 

Diving into his deep trousers’ pocket he produced an 
English sovereign, and putting it into the centre of the 


DONALD GRANTS DEVELOPMENT. 


47 


boy s right palm, closed his fingers tightly over it, saying 
in an undertone: “ You will be needing some things to 
fit you out. Spend that, and if it is not enough let me 
know, and you shall have another.” 

Truly this was a wonderful day for Donald—the like 
of which it was hardly possible he would have in his life 
again. Not a cloud dulled the hopeful horizon. He had 
begun to realize his ambitions under the most promising 
auspices. Providence had smiled upon him hitherto. 
That it might continue to do so was the earnest prayer of 
his fond mother when she came to take one last look at 
him before retiring for the night. 


CHAPTER V. 


MAKING HIS WAY. 



|0 be a regular attendant at the Beechmount Academy 


J- was no slight undertaking for Donald Grant. It 
meant eight miles of travel every day in the week except 
Saturday and Sunday, and for this travel he had nothing 
to depend upon save his own legs. He might, of course, 
get an occasional ride, but there was no certainty about 
it, and in calculating the time it would take him to reach 
the academy in the morning, he would not be safe in re¬ 
lying upon any such possible aid; for he might have to 
foot it all the way notwithstanding, and late-comers were 
severely frowned upon. 

To be sure, on a fine, bright, autumn day a tramp of 
four miles was nothing to alarm such a sturdy, enduring 
young chap as Donald; but autumn days were sometimes 
rainy, and then there was the winter ahead. 

It was not Donald who thought of this. His head was 
too full of happiness to worry about such things. It was 
the quiet, thoughtful, affectionate Hugh who, on the Sun¬ 
day before his brother began his attendance, as they were 
all driving in to church, began to ask anxious questions 
about it. He had a foreboding nature, and did not like 
the idea of Donald tramping those eight long miles every 
day, rain or shine. 


48 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 49 

But Donald made very light of the difficulties Hugh 
suggested. 

“ Tut, Hughie,” he laughed, “ you talk as if I were a 
little chap like Bob or Harry. What do I care for a 
four-mile tramp? and then I will often get a lift, you 
know.” 

“ Maybe you will, sometimes, Donald,” answered Hugh, 
shaking his head doubtfully; “ but there will be many 
more times that you'll have to walk. I wish we lived in 
the village. We are so far away.” 

Hugh had a great longing for the larger society a 
home in Beechmount would have made possible, and he 
really envied Donald the daily visits he would henceforth 
make. It made him for the time regret that he had 
taken to business instead of books. 

Mr. Grant, who had been a silent listener to the con¬ 
versation, here broke in: “ Never attempt to cross a 
bridge until you come to it, Hugh. Time enongh to be 
concerned about Donald getting in and out from the 
academy when the difficulties occur. Well, here we are, 
almost at the church. Hugh, you put the horses up. 
The rest of us will go in and take our seats.” 

As the little procession of Grants, headed by the father 
and mother, filed up the narrow aisle to their pew— 
which was to the right of the pulpit—there was a dis¬ 
tinct rustle of curiosity among the congregation already 
assembled; for all were eager to get a good look at the 
boy who had carried off the scholarship. 

Donald could not fail to be conscious of the concen- 
D 


50 DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

tration of curious eyes upon him, and, blushing hotly, he 
pretended to be deeply absorbed in a study of the hymn 
book until the announcement of the opening hymn by 
the pastor gave him relief. 

After the service was over, Mr. and Mrs. Grant were 
in receipt of a number of congratulations from their 
friends upon their boy’s success, and Donald was patted 
approvingly upon the head by sundry old gentlemen, 
and upon his red cheeks by various ladies, both young 
and old, all in token of their gratification at his achieve¬ 
ment. 

That was a Sunday long to be remembered ; and many 
a time in after years did its recollection bring a ray of 
sunshine for Mrs. Grant, the fond, proud mother, into 
hours darkened with trouble and sorrow. 

The next morning at sharp half-past seven, Donald 
set blithely forth to reach the Beechmount Academy ere 
the last bell should commence ringing. It was clear 
and cool, and his cheery whistle could be heard long after 
he had crossed the bridge and was climbing the hill be¬ 
yond. His mother stood at the door and watched him 
until he was out of sight. 

“ God bless thee, and keep thee, Donald,” she mur¬ 
mured. “ My heart tells me that you are to be the stay 
and comfort of my old age. May no evil befall thee nor 
harm come nigh thee, as you go through the journey of 
life! You have a brave heart and a strong heart, and, 
best of all, a pure heart. Oh, how I love you! ” And 
dashing away a tear, she went back to her work. 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 51 

Donald plodded steadily forward mile after mile, for, 
as it happened, no carriage or cart overtook him. The 
nearer he drew to the village, the graver grew his spirit. 
The merry whistling ceased, and he advanced in silence; 
for, naturally enough, the thought of the ordeal before 
him made him pause. How would he be received by his 
new companions? He was not on terms of anything 
like intimacy with one of them, although he knew sev¬ 
eral of them slightly—the doctor’s son and one or two 
others. He could, therefore, look to no one for sympa¬ 
thy and support. 

The first note of the last bell rang out just as he 
reached the academy door, and hardly glancing at the 
group of boys dawdling about the steps, he hurried in¬ 
side, where he found Mr. Patterson standing in the main 
hall, a roll of names in his hand, and directing the 
scholars where to go as fast as they entered. He recog¬ 
nized Donald at once. 

“ Ah, ha ! ” he said, smiling graciously. “ You are the 
winner of the scholarship. You go into Mr. Gunton’s 
room.” And with a wave of the roll he indicated the 
room at his right. 

Donald somewhat timidly made his way to the room. 
A number of boys had already gathered, and all at once 
turned their eyes upon him with the pitiless stare of 
voung barbarians. No one offered him a seat, and pre- 
sentlv, as the painful awkwardness of his position showed 
itself in the distress of his countenance, some began to 
laugh and others to make faces at him. A band of 


52 DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

school boys can be as cruel as any of the savages of Cen¬ 
tral Africa. 

Just then the master, who had been bending over his 
record book, lifted his head and discovered Donald. He 
•was an Englishman, named Gunton—a competent scholar, 
but without special talent for teaching. He taught only 
because no better occupation offered itself. He w T as 
young, fair, precise, and wore eyeglasses, then somewhat 
of a novelty. Adjusting these to his nose, he proceeded 
to increase poor Donald’s embarrassment by surveying 
him as curiously as though he were some odd kind of 
animal. Finally he managed to say in a decided drawl: 
“Ah, a new scholar, I presume. Will you please come 
forward ? ” 

Feeling more like whirling around and bolting for the 
door, Donald went up to the desk. 

“ May I ask your name ? ” inquired the teacher, in the 
same monotonous drawl. 

“ Donald Grant, sir,” was the prompt reply. 

“ Ah, indeed ! ” said Mr. Gunton, with a sudden access 
of interest. “ The boy that won the scholarship ; and 
you have come into my room at the start ? Quite unusual, 
that. You must have been well prepared. I hope your 
work here will bear out the reputation with which you 
begin. Please take a seat on the first row for the present.” 

Donald went to his seat in a much lighter frame of 
mind than that in which he had entered the room. The 
change in his teacher’s tone and manner on hearing his 
name gave him courage. If Mr. Gunton would only be 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 53 

good to him, he could the more easily wait until the boys 
came around and admitted him into their friendship. 

At sharp nine o’clock the door was locked, and Mr. 
Gunton read a prayer in the most formal manner possible, 
concluding with the Lord's prayer, which the boys were 
expected to repeat after him. Not more than half of 
them ever did so, however. 

Of course, there were no lessons to be recited that 
morning, so the time was taken up in re-arranging the 
classes, Mr. Gunton having two forms in his room,—the 
third and fourth,—in designating the work for the next 
day, and otherwise clearing the decks for action. 

The head master came in during the morning to see 
how matters were progressing. He also brought a com¬ 
plete set of text-books for Donald, in each of which the 
boy’s name was duly inscribed. Donald had never 
owned so many books before in his life, and was almost 
bewildered at his sudden wealth; a Caesar, a Latin 
dictionary, a grammar, an algebra, a Euclid, an arith¬ 
metic, an English history, etc., and three good, big, exer¬ 
cise books in which to enter his work. In their spotless, 
shining covers they seemed to the delighted lad the most 
wonderful collection of books in the world. 

Some of the other boys gave him very envious, covetous 
looks as he joyfully fondled his new possessions. Their 
fathers had to pay for all the books they used, and here 
was a youngster from out in the country somewhere, 
getting a fine supply all for nothing. It did seem galling 
to their minds distorted by jealousy, and, whispering 


54 DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

together, they made up a nice little plot, viz.: to waylay 
unsuspecting Donald at recess, and jostle him so that he 
would drop some of his brand new books, when they would 
pick them up and run off with them, compelling him to 
go in chase, and thus affording them lots of amusement. 

Happily, however, this fell conspiracy was quite inno¬ 
cently brought to naught by Mr. Gunton. When the 
boys were dismissed, Donald was detained getting his 
books into a pile that would be easily carried, and thus 
it came about that he and the teacher left the room 
together. As luck would have it too, the latter entered 
into conversation with him, and the two walked down the 
street, while the disappointed conspirators, seeing their 
plans thus frustrated, went off in a very disgusted frame 
of mind. 

It was out of the question for Donald to carry that 
large package of books home if he had to walk all the 
way. But here again fortune favored him, for in front 
of one the stores he found the wagon of a farmer living 
a little beyond Rivervale, and on inquiry learned that 
the owner was going home soon and would be glad to 
have his company. So he had a pleasant drive home, 
and arrived there in high spirits, eager to exhibit his 
treasures to his admiring family. 

The next morning his work at the academy began in 
earnest. He arrived in good time, having had a lift 
part of the way, and instead of going at once into the 
schoolroom, waited about the door hoping to begin an 
acquaintance with some of the boys. 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 55 

But no one made any overtures to him, and such 
slight advances as he ventured to make were so coolly, if 
not rudely, received that, much disheartened, he went to 
his desk to await the arrival of the master. He could 
not understand why the boys should treat him so strangely. 
It could not be because he did not belong to the village, 
for he knew that at least a score of the academy boys 
came in like himself from the country every morning. 
He racked his brain to think of anything he could pos¬ 
sibly have done to give offense, and there flashed into his 
mind the question, was it his winning the scholarship? 
Surely not! They could not be so mean and jealous as 
that. Yet what other explanation was there? The ring¬ 
ing of the last bell and the tumultuous rush of the boys 
to their places cut short his cogitations. Prayers were 
read and the work of the day begun. 

It usually takes a couple of days for the scholars to 
settle down to their studies after the long midsummer va¬ 
cation ; and this morning very few were properly pre¬ 
pared, although the lessons had been duly apportioned 
the day before. Donald, however, had studied his les¬ 
sons thoroughly, and the consequence was that, from his 
place as new boy at the foot of his classes, he suddenly 
rose to be head in one, third in another, and halfway to 
the top in a third. 

Here was an adding of fresh fuel to the flame with a 
vengeance. A new boy to get from the foot clean to 
the head of the class in Latin grammar in one day, and 
all because he was prig enough to begin to study right off, 


56 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


instead of taking a couple of days to settle down as the 
other boys had done. Clearly, Donald’s road to popu¬ 
larity in that schoolroom was to be a rough and thorny 
one. The boys seemed to be completely blinded by jeal¬ 
ousy to all instincts of justice and fair play. They 
thought the new boy had taken a mean advantage of 
them, when a moment’s calm consideration would have 
shown them how absurd was the suspicion. But who 
can be more unreasonable or unjust than boys on the 
wrong track ? They were all on the wrong track, and 
until their eyes should be opened, there was small chance 
of Donald getting fair consideration at their hands. 

AVhen the midday recess came, he went out with the 
others. Some of them jostled him rather roughly in the 
hall, he thought, but it might have been an accident, and 
he took no notice of it. On the green outside a number 
of his classmates, with others, were gathered, and as 
he passed near them they broke out into hissing and 
cries of “ Sneak ! ” “ Toady ! ” “ Kivervale rowdy ! ” and 
so forth. 

There was no mistaking for whom this was intended. 
The hot blood sprang to Donald’s face. Every nerve 
thrilled with anger and indignation. Almost uncon¬ 
sciously his fists closed tightly. His heart was beating 
like a trip hammer within his breast. 

Drawing himself up and holding his shut fists close to 
his sides, he suddenly turned upon his tormentors, who 
quailed a little before his menacing attitude, and de¬ 
manded in a tone of wrathful indignation : 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 57 

“ Why do you call me such names ? What have I 
done?” 

Not expecting to be thus suddenly brought to book, 
the boys were thrown into some confusion, and for a 
moment no spokesman appeared to answer for them. 
Then some one from the depths of the group called out 
in a hesitating way, “ You won the scholarship.” 

“ And what if I did ? ” retorted Donald, still main¬ 
taining his ready-to-strike attitude. “ Didn’t I win it 
fair ? ” 

There was a sort of confused murmur which might be 
taken to imply, “Suppose you did,” and then another 
boy added, “ But you don’t belong to the village.” 

“ What if I don’t,” was the prompt reply. “ That was 
no reason why I shouldn’t try for the scholarship, was 
it?” 

Again he had scored a point. There was no answering 
his question, and his accusers were driven to bring up 
their last charge: 

“ You took advantage of the others to-day.” 

“How did I take advantage?” cried Donald, with a 
touch of scorn in his voice. “ They did not know their 
lessons and I did know mine. Was there anything wrong 
about that?” 

Donald was fast gaining the day; his gallant bearing, 
his prompt and reasonable retorts, his evident indifference 
to the numbers arrayed against him, all told in his favor. 
The tide of feeling was fast veering around, when one of 
the older boys, who felt particularly envious of him, and 


58 


DONALD GRANTS DEVELOPMENT. 


who saw that he was gaining ground, growled out in a 
sulky, obstinate tone: 

“You’re a sneak and a coward, anyway.” 

This was more than Donald could stand. Like a flash, 
he darted at the speaker, caught him by the shoulder, 
and shaking his fist in his face was about to cry, “ Take 
that back or I’ll beat you black and blue,” when suddenly 
the voice of the Principal fell upon the excited crowd 
and settled it like magic. 

“ Boys! boys! ” he said. “ What is the meaning of 
this? Fighting already, Donald Grant?” This last 
question in a tone of mingled surprise and disappoint¬ 
ment. 


CHAPTER VI. 


A WORTHY VICTORY. 

TT7HEN the sound of Mr. Patterson’s voice fell on his 
* » ears, Donald instantly loosened his hold of the 
boy who had so stirred his wrath, the flush of anger on 
his cheek changed to one of shame, and, turning to the 
head master, he said, with eyes bent upon the ground: 
“ I lost my temper, sir. I wasn’t going to fight him, but 
to make him take back the names he called me. I am 
very sorry, sir.” 

“ Ah, ha! *’ exclaimed the head master, his eyes snap¬ 
ping sharply behind his spectacles. “ There are always 
two sides to a story, and I must hear both of them before 
I make up my mind who is to blame. Will all of you 
boys be good enough to come to my room ? ” 

With very crestfallen and somewhat apprehensive 
countenances, the boys followed Mr. Patterson into his 
room. As soon as they were all seated, he called up 
Donald and asked him to tell his part in the affair. 
There was a murmur of anxiety as Donald rose to his 
feet. Now was his chance to revenge himself finely upon 
his tormentors. If he were to relate everything that had 
occurred, they would be put in an awkward box indeed; 
and the result would probably be the imposition of very 
unpleasant penalties. But to the surprise and vast relief 

59 


60 


DONALD GRANT'S DEVELOPMENT. 


of them all, when Donald opened his mouth it was to 
say: “If you please, sir, I’d rather not tell anything 
about it. Please excuse me, won’t you, sir ? ” And there 
was quite a plaintive tone in his voice as he made the 
request. 

Mr. Patterson seemed slightly annoyed for a moment, 
and was just about to address a further question to 
Donald, when he checked himself. He was a shrew T d 
man, and had divined the boy’s nature. Naturally 
enough, he shrank from being placed in the position of 
an informer. Even on the lowest ground—that of mere 
policy—it was to be avoided, if possible, for who is held 
in greater contempt among boys than a telltale ? So Mr. 
Patterson simply said: “Very well, Donald; I will not 
compel you,” and waved him to his seat. 

Then he looked around among the boys, who were 
wondering what the next turn in affairs would be, until 
his eyes fell upon a little chap who, although not lacking 
in sense, was somehow a sort of butt for the others, and 
he called out: “ Louis Smith, come to my desk, please.” 

Looking very much perturbed, Louis crawled slowly 
to the desk, and then Mr. Patterson required of him an 
account of the disturbance. Glad to get off so easily, 
Louis at once launched off into particulars, and gave 
them with commendable accuracy too, taking care not 
to individualize, but describing fairly enough what had 
been Donald’s provocation and how he had met it. 

When he had finished, the head master turned to 
Donald. “ Has Louis stated accurately what took 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 61 

place ? ” he asked, “ or is there anything you wish to 
add?” 

“ Nothing at all, sir,” answered Donald. 

Mr. Patterson was silent for a few moments as though 
considering just how to express himself, and then he 
spoke: “ Scholars, I feel bound to tell you that I am 
surprised and sorry at the way in which you have acted 
toward a new boy, whom you should have considered all 
the more because he was a stranger to the most of you 
and did not belong to the village. I also feel bound to 
say that, in view of the circumstances, I think Donald 
Grant behaved very w r ell indeed. He showed no temper 
until you had provoked him beyond endurance, and now 
I w r ant to ask you this: After what has taken place, do 
any of you still think Donald Grant is a sneak and a 
coward ? ” 

Here Mr. Patterson paused, and at once there was a 
hearty chorus of “ No, sir; no, indeed, sir,” which broke 
out into a laugh when some boy far back in the rear 
added, “ He’s a brick, sir.” 

Mr. Patterson looked pleased. There was evident 
sincerity in the boys’ response. Donald Grant had, by 
his manly conduct, overcome their baseless prejudice 
against himself, and made a good start toward winning 
their hearts. He would not spoil this happy issue by 
imposing any penalties, so, with a pleasant smile, he went 
on to say: “ I am sure Donald will now consider that 
you have taken all your ugly names back, and that you 
are sorry for having used them. Let this be the end of 


62 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


the matter. Let Donald be one of yourselves, and you 
will get along well together. You are dismissed now for 
the remainder of recess.” 

Immensely relieved at this unexpected but most wel¬ 
come termination of the episode, the boys rushed out of 
the room cheering for both the head master and Donald ; 
and when the latter reached the playground he was at 
once surrounded, and overwhelmed with invitations to 
join in the games that were promptly organized. He 
soon showed himself quick to learn and agile in playing, 
so that ere the day was out his schoolmates came to the 
opinion that the “ Rivervale Rowdy ” would, in a little 
while, be a match for any of them at their sports. 

Thenceforth Donald's way at the academy was smooth 
enough so far as his relations with the other boys were 
concerned. Of course, he had his disputes and differ¬ 
ences such as boys will have. His temper was quick, 
his will strong, he loved his own way, and was just as 
prone to think it the very best way as the most of us are 
in regard to our own. But these little matters did not 
prevent him from being thoroughly popular. Full-sized 
for his age, well-built, quite good-looking, daring of spirit, 
fertile of expedient, intensely fond of fun in every form, 
a strong swimmer, a swift runner, and, if need be, a hard 
hitter, Donald, by natural process of selection, soon 
became a recognized leader; and many a village boy 
went without his dinner in order that he might be in 
Donald’s train during the long noon recess, and enjoy the 
sport that was sure to be had in one way or another. 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


63 


Nor did he suffer his fondness for play—now capable 
of being indulged to a greater extent than ever before— 
to interfere with his studies. Despite Mr. Gunton’s 
glasses and rather repellent drawl, Donald in a little 
while came to respect him highly, and even like him. 
He was a sound scholar, and if approached in the right 
way, willing enough to place his stores of knowledge at 
an inquirer’s disposal. 

Donald did not at first discover this right way, but 
later he came to understand just how to touch the right 
spring, and after that he and his teacher got along 
famously. Several times during the winter Mr. Gunton 
drove out to Donald’s home and took tea with the family; 
and so sure as he did, the audacious Charlie mimicked his 
drawl for days afterward, to the amusement of his younger 
brothers. 

The winter proved a very severe one indeed. Great 
quantities of snow fell, burying the fences that outlined 
the road, and making it no easy task to keep the right 
track after sundown. Hugh’s forebodings of difficulty 
began to find fulfillment. Some days there were, indeed, 
when it would have been madness for a strong man to 
have attempted to make his way into Beechmount from 
Rivervale, and Donald had perforce to remain at home. 
But if the weather were at all moderate, mounted upon 
sagacious old Nelson, who would otherwise have been 
eating his head off in the stable for lack of work, Donald, 
wrapped up as warmly as a loving mother could wrap 
him, his books strapped on his back, and a bag of oats 


64 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


for Nelson at the saddle-bow, would trot off through the 
biting cold, and never draw rein until he reached the 
academy. Here Nelson was snugly housed in Mr. Pat¬ 
terson’s stable, and Donald, glowing with heat from his 
active exercise, would hurry to his place in the classroom. 

One afternoon, never to be forgotten, he had a narrow 
escape from perishing in the snowdrifts. The morning 
was dull and threatening, but the snow held off until long 
past noon, and then began to fall in a fitful, undecided 
way, as though it could not make up its mind whether to 
come down in a real storm or not. 

Mr. Patterson urged Donald not to go home, but to 
remain over night with him. Donald, however, feared 
lest his mother would worry if he did not return at the 
usual time, and, thanking the head master, rode off into 
the gathering storm. He had hardly left the village a 
mile behind before the snow, now fully decided, came 
down in sheets of white that fairly blotted out the land¬ 
scape. Fortunately the road was well beaten, and Nelson 
had no difficulty in finding his way; yet the incessant 
beating of the large, heavy flakes into the eyes of both 
horse and rider was very bewildering, and if the track 
should become obscure their situation would be indeed 
serious. 

Pressing forward as fast as he could, Donald presently 
reached the shelter of the woods, and here for a time had 
some respite from the storm, the thick spruce grove shel¬ 
tering him from the wind, and there being no chance of 
missing the way. 



































































DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 65 

It was when he came out again on the other side of 
the woods, and stood upon the top of the hill looking 
down into the valley where Rivervale lay nestling 
amongst the skirts of the opposite slope, that he realized 
his danger. The storm, now at its height, struck full in 
his face, leaving its load of damp, tenacious snow that 
clings to the eyelids, and that covered his face as fast as 
it could be brushed away. Even steady, sure-footed old 
Nelson seemed frightened and unwilling to face the piti¬ 
less blast. He would fain have turned about and gone 
back to the shelter of the woods. But Donald knew 
better than to permit that. There was only one course 
to pursue—namely, to press forward until he reached one 
of the farmhouses, of which there were several between 
him and the bridge. 

Under ordinary circumstances Donald could have 
found his way right enough in spite of the storm; but 
this winter, so heavy had the drifts been, that the farmers, 
in despair, gave up keeping the regular road open, and 
made a new road across the fields, which wound hither 
and thither in a most perplexing manner. Nelson 
seemed to be entirely at fault, although Donald left him 
altogether to the exercise of his own sagacity. The pelt¬ 
ing snow not only blinded him, but made him sulky. 
He stumbled sullenly along until, at last, down he went 
on both knees, pitching his rider clear over his head. 

Fortunately, Donald held on to the reins in his tum¬ 
ble, or the wily old horse would probably have bolted 
back to the woods. As it was, when he picked himself 
E 


66 DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

up, not a whit worse for hi3 somersault into the soft snow, 
Nelson would not suffer him to remount, and after sev¬ 
eral vain attempts he had to give up the idea. 

This was a serious addition to the difficulties of his 
situation. The snow lay soft and deep, rendering the 
walking very exhausting; and besides, he could not see 
as far on foot as he could from Nelson’s back. Halting 
for a minute, he put up a brief and earnest petition for 
Divine help. The words, “ Thy hand shall lead me, and 
thy right hand shall hold me,” often used by his father 
at family prayer, came into his mind and comforted him 
greatly. Slipping the bridle over his left arm, he re¬ 
newed his battle with the storm. 

Stumbling about in the yielding snow, he presently 
struck what he felt sure was the right track, and fol¬ 
lowed it up persistently until at last the grateful gleam 
of a light shot through the mist of flying flakes, and 
with a cry of joy he hastened toward it, dragging the 
ungrateful Nelson after him. Several times he lost his 
beacon light, and feared lest it had been put out; but it 
was only a snowdrift intervening, and a few moments 
after it gladdened his eyes again. 

Weary almost to faintness, he pressed steadily forward. 
The cheery rays brightened as he advanced. Then the 
dark shadow of the house in whose window it stood be¬ 
gan to loom up through the obscurity. Summoning all 
his energies for a Anal effort, Donald dashed through 
the snow straight for the house, and dropped at the door, 
too utterly exhausted to raise the knocker. 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


67 


But a few minutes rest restored his strength sufficiently 
for him to make his presence known. The door was 
promptly opened by the good woman of the house who, 
seeing a snow-clad figure, exclaimed, in a hearty tone: 

“ Come in, till I see who you are. It’s no night for a 
Christian to be out, anyway.” 

Donald, dropping the bridle, at once stepped into the 
warm, cheery kitchen, brushing the snow from his face 
as he did so; and Mrs. McKenzie, then recognizing him, 
cried: 

“ Why, it’s Donald Grant, to be sure. You foolish 
lad, whatever possessed you to come out in such a storm 
as this ? It’s a mercy you got to our house at all. Sit 
down in this rocking chair and tell me all about it when 
you get rested a bit.” 

Donald sank into the comfortable chair, feeling almost 
ready to cry with joy and gratitude at having reached a 
safe haven. But he managed to get control of his feel¬ 
ings while good Mrs. McKenzie bustled about preparing 
a hot drink of black currant cordial, her supreme spe¬ 
cific for cold, weariness, and other light bodily ail¬ 
ments. 

“Here, Donald,” she said, when she had it ready, 
“ drink this down and see how good you’ll feel.” 

The hot, sweet drink was like nectar to Donald, and 
when he had emptied the glass, his tongue began to wag 
at once as he explained to his hostess how he happened 
to be out in the storm. 

“ Well, now,” said she, clapping him on the shoulder. 


68 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


“ Bovs and men are all alike the world over. For fear 
your mother would worry at your not getting home to¬ 
night, you run the risk of never getting home at all, 
which would be a sad worry indeed. Not one step 
farther do you go this night, Donald. Angus will put 
the horse in the barn, and you shall have the spare 
room. Then in the morning, if the storm is over, you 
can get away home as fast as you like.” 

Donald thanked Mrs. McKenzie, and did just as he 
was bidden, much to her satisfaction. The next morn¬ 
ing he awoke with the sun. The storm had all passed 
away. The day was bright and clear. So eager was he 
to reach home that he would have gone off without his 
breakfast; but of this Mrs. McKenzie would not hear. 
After breakfast, bidding “ good-bye ” to his hospitable 
entertainer, he spared not Nelson, deep as the snow was, 
and ere long rode up to the door of the white cottage, 
which was instantly flung open by Mrs. Grant, exclaim¬ 
ing joyously: 

“ My darling Donald! Where were you all night ? 
Were you out in the storm ? ” 

“ If I had been, mother dear, I am afraid I would 
not be here,” answered Donald, laughing as he dis¬ 
mounted. “I spent the night at Mrs. McKenzie’s.” 
And giving his mother a hearty kiss, he went into the 
house with her to relate the adventures of the night. 


CHAPTER VII. 


FROM SCHOLAR TO TEACHER. 

T HE beginning of Donald’s second year at the Beech- 
mount Academy found him in the head master’s 
room, and well on his way to the sixth form—in fact, 
certain to be promoted into it after the Christmas vaca¬ 
tion. His progress under Mr. Gunton had been swift, 
yet steady. There was no need, nor indeed was there 
any suspicion, of favoritism. His classmates recognized 
his superiority as fully as did the teacher. When natural 
abilities of the quality he possessed were united with an 
ambition and a steadfast energy such as were his charac¬ 
teristics, the result could only be a record of more than 
ordinary brilliancy. Donald really had not a competi¬ 
tor in the classroom who could meet him on equal terms. 
At the midsummer closing he carried off every prize 
within his reach. It is true, the prizes were only books 
of moderate value. But how can the delight they gave to 
him and his family be described ? 

On taking his place in Mr. Patterson’s room, however, 
he was not slow in finding out that his case would no 
longer be one of “ Eclipse first and the rest nowhere.” 
Now he would have the cream of the academy as his 
associates, and the head master tolerated no “ scamp 
work ” in his room. He did not expect all to do equally 

69 


70 


DONALD GKANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


well, but he did expect and insist upon it that all should 
do their best. If they were only one-talent boys, he did 
not demand the same from them as the ten-talent boys; 
but he held them down to a faithful use of their one 
talent. The consequence was that the lessons were always 
well prepared, and Donald discovered that making his 
way up toward the head in his different classes would be 
a much more tedious business than it had been in Mr. 
Gunton’s room. 

But this did not trouble his spirit a particle. On the 
contrary, he was glad of it. The keen competition in¬ 
spired him to even greater diligence in his studies. He 
was determined to maintain the record he had established 
for himself, if it could be done ; and so close was his 
attention to his books, that his health would have suffered 
but for the long journey in the open air that lay between 
his home and the academy. This now proved a real 
blessing, compelling him to take the exercise he might 
otherwise have neglected. 

He had not been long in Mr. Patterson’s room before 
he came to be on quite as good terms with him as he had 
been with Mr. Gunton. Despite his apparently brusque, 
impatient manner, the head master was always glad to be 
questioned about the subjects of study, provided the 
questioner put inquiries that were not seeking for the 
solution of the difficulties he should have solved himself, 
but an intelligent demand for further light upon matters 
that were not sufficiently clear. Often after the classes 
were dismissed for the day, Donald would linger for a 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 71 

while to talk over some difficulty with the head master, 
and he always found him ready to listen and prompt to 
respond. He had told Mr. Patterson of his great ambi¬ 
tion, viz.: to take a complete course at Chebucto Uni¬ 
versity ; and this fact deepened his teacher’s interest in 
him. He felt sure that if he did go to the university he 
would reflect honor upon the academy, and he was re¬ 
solved to help him in preparation to the full extent of his 
opportunity. 

Thus matters progressed smoothly and satisfactorily. 
Donald continued to be popular among his classmates, 
and to be a recognized leader in their sports as well as 
in their studies. As the end of the term drew near, a 
livelier interest than usual was felt among the academy 
boys with reference to the prizes. Donald was certainly 
not going to have it all his own way this time. In the 
sixth form, there were more than one who might fairly 
be considered his match. Arthur Henderson, the doc¬ 
tor’s son, was a very bright lad, somewhat inclined to 
carelessness, but now stirred up to his best endeavors. 
Sam Hill, the son of the postmaster, though not so quick 
as Arthur, made up in plodding patience what he lacked 
in mental alertness, and he too had resolved that what¬ 
ever victories Donald won he would have to put forth 
his very best endeavors to secure. 

Of course, the three boys made no boast of their re¬ 
spective resolutions, yet somehow or other their class¬ 
mates were as fully aware of them as if they had, and 
almost unconsciously divided themselves into three par- 


72 DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

ties, according as they put their faith in Arthur, Sam, or 
Donald. Had the deplorable mania for betting, now so 
prevalent, then infected Beechmount with its demoralizing 
contagion, the boys would assuredly have been wagering 
their entire personal possessions on behalf of their favor¬ 
ites. But happily they knew nothing of that miserable 
way of supporting opinions, and contented themselves 
with good-humored reiteration of their belief that Don¬ 
ald, Arthur, or Sam, as the case might be, would not 
give the other two a ghost of a show, but would just 
clean out the prize list. 

The final examinations for the sixth form were always 
wholly written. It was in the lovely, leafy month of 
June when they were held, and the interest in the respec¬ 
tive standing of the three leaders was so intense that 
some of the boys were actually as much excited about it 
as they were about their own standing. 

It took two days to get through the papers which were 
set. Donald felt a little nervous at first, and the answers 
came slowly to his mind ; but presently the sight of the 
two competitors he feared the most scribbling away as if 
for dear life banished his nervousness, and spurred on 
his mind to its highest working power. His pen went 
flying over the paper at a rate that showed he knew well 
what to reply to the printed questions on the sheet be¬ 
fore him. 

After the examinations were over, several days must 
elapse before the results could be declared. Those days 
Donald spent at home, thoroughly enjoying the relief 


DONALD GRAFT’S DEVELOPMENT. 73 

from study, and romping about with Charlie and “Boban- 
harry ” in as lively a fashion as if he were no more of a 
bookworm than rattle-brained Charlie himself. His 
brothers were delighted to have him in this humor, for 
since the Christmas holidays he had had no time to spare 
to play with them. Now he was entirely at their dis¬ 
posal, and they enjoyed his society all the more for hav¬ 
ing been so long deprived of it. 

On Thursday morning, June 29, the results were to be 
announced, and the following morning the closing exer¬ 
cises were to be held, when the prizes would be presented. 

It was with a fiercely throbbing heart that Donald, 
mounted upon Nelson,—for his impatience could not 
brook the slow method of walking,—hastened toward the 
village that Thursday morning. The day was gloriously 
fine, but he had no eyes for the beauties of nature nor 
ears for the music of birds. His one absorbing thought 
was, “ How have I come out ? Have I won any prize 
at all ? ” 

On reaching the academy, he sprang from Nelson and 
rushed to the board on which the announcements were 
posted. It was surrounded by a crowd of boys, through 
whom he impatiently pushed his way. The results were 
up—Henderson, Hill, and himself had passed all their ex¬ 
aminations so well as to be placed together in the highest 
rank. But how about the prizes? Were they not to be 
awarded ? Ah! here at the bottom of the list was a foot¬ 
note which said that, owing to the very slight difference 
in merit between the papers of the three leading compe- 


74 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


titors, a further consideration of them would be neces¬ 
sary ; and the winners of the prizes, therefore, could not 
be announced until the following morning. 

Donald felt both disappointed and relieved. He would 
have to endure the agony of suspense for another twenty- 
four hours, but at the same time it was clear that he and 
the other two were so close together that his chance was 
as good as theirs, at any rate. Back home he rode, and 
strove to forget his anxiety by indulging in the wildest 
kind of skylarking with his younger brothers that he 
could iuvent; and then went to bed so tired out that, 
prizes or no prizes, he slept like one who had not a care 
in the world. 

The next morning, bright and early, the Sunday car¬ 
riage was brought out, the two horses harnessed to it, and 
the entire Grant family, decked out in their very best 
attire, drove in to witness the closing exercises, and, as 
they all greatly hoped, the triumph of their darling 
Donald. 

The proceedings were held in the town hall, and the 
Grants being in good time secured some of the best seats, 
in which they established themselves, looking radiant, 
expectant, hopeful. The large hall was soon filled to the 
doors with an interested, eager audience. The academy 
boys occupied a block of seats right in front of the plat¬ 
form, and presently upon the platform came the head 
master and his assistants, the trustees of the academy, 
the ministers, the magistrates, the doctors, the lawyers, 
the postmaster, and other dignitaries of the place; for 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


75 


the closing exercises of Beechmount Academy were 
always regarded as one of the most important events on 
the village calendar. 

After certain preliminaries, the head master rose amid 
breathless attention, to declare the results of the recent 
examinations. First he went through the list of promo¬ 
tions from lower to higher forms, then the list of those 
who had, so to speak, graduated from the academy, and 
then came to the prize list. There was not a person in 
the hall unaware of the special interest attaching to this 
list on this occasion, and the silence was profound as, 
after a preliminary cough and careful adjustment of his 
spectacles, he began to speak. 

Having referred to the unusual circumstances in con¬ 
nection with the examination, and the difficulty of accu¬ 
rately adjusting the values of the answers given in by the 
three pupils w 7 ho were ahead of all the others, Mr. Pat¬ 
terson proceeded to state that after an impartial re¬ 
valuation, made with the assistance of the other two mas¬ 
ters, the following conclusion had been arrived at: 

The prize in classics went to Donald Grant, the prize 
in mathematics to Arthur Henderson, and the prize in 
English to Samuel Hill. 

With regard to the silver medal for highest general 
proficiency, that also went to Donald Grant, who had five 
more points than Arthur Henderson, w r ho, in his turn, had 
only three more points than Samuel Hill. The compe¬ 
tition, therefore, was extremely close, and reflected the 
utmost credit upon all three contestants. 


76 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


Tremendous rounds of applause greeted each announce¬ 
ment as it fell from the head master’s lips, and at the 
close each of the prize winners became the centre of a 
group of friends showering upon them their enthusiastic 
congratulations, so that it was some time before order 
could be sufficiently restored to enable the reading of the 
prize list to be completed. 

Upon the whole, the results of the close competition in 
the sixth form gave general satisfaction. Arthur Hen¬ 
derson, who had never won a prize before, was well 
satisfied with coming out first in mathematics; quiet, 
plodding Sam Hill had not hoped for better fortune than 
befell him, and if Donald had any qualms of disappoint¬ 
ment at winning only one prize, he was more than consoled 
by the medal for general proficiency, the highest honor of 
ail. 

It was a very happy family party that returned to 
Rivervale in the big express wagon. The pride of the 
household had fully sustained his reputation, and when 
in the evening not only Grant, the blacksmith, but 
actually the old squire himself, came over to offer his 
hearty congratulations, the cup of Mr. and Mrs. Grant’s 
happiness seemed full to overflowing; and there was an 
unusual fervor in the former’s voice at family prayer as 
he returned thanks to God for the joys and triumphs of 
the day. 

Long after all the other members of the family were 
in their beds, Donald and his father sat talking together 
upon the doorstep. The subject of their conversation 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 77 

was, of course, the boy’s future, and the moonlight falling 
upon his face revealed a dejected, irritated expression 
that seemed strangely at variance with the bright, happy 
look of but a little while before. 

The change was not without good cause, and Donald 
could hardly be blamed if the expression of his counte¬ 
nance was altered ; for he had just learned from his 
father a fact of which he had hitherto been in entire 
ignorance—that it would be impossible for Mr. Grant to 
send him to the university that autumn as had been the 
father’s full intention and the son’s confident expectation. 
The reason was readily given. Mr. Grant had become 
security for a brother in another part of the Province. 
The brother’s business had proved a disastrous failure, 
and it would require every dollar that Mr. Grant could 
get together to discharge the liability arising out of his 
obligation. 

“ But, father,” broke out Donald impetuously, upon 
having this explained to him, “ why must you pay all? 
Why don’t they make Uncle Joe pay some too ? ” 

“ Because, my dear Donald,” replied Mr. Grant, with a 
sad smile, “ Uncle Joe has nothing to pay. He is utterly 
ruined.” 

Donald gave a shrug of disgust. “ I don’t care, father; 
it is not fair,” he cried, “ to make you pay so much 
money. You did not lose the money, Uncle Joe did. 
Oh, why did you ever go security for him ? ” he added, 
with a sigh of profound regret. 

“ Never mind about that, Donald,” said his father, in 


78 DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

a tone implying that he did not propose to discuss the 
wisdom of his own doings with his son. “ I have incurred 
the obligation, and now must do my best to meet it; but 
I need not tell you how sorely grieved I am at having to 
disappoint you about the university. I’m sure I was as 
eager for your going as you were yourself.” 

Donald was silent for a minute, then looking earnestly 
into his father’s face, he asked : “ Could you not borrow 
the money, father? Wouldn’t Squire Stewart lend it to 
you ? ” 

Mr. Grant shook his head in a decisive way. “ I have 
never borrowed a dollar yet, Donald ; and, God helping 
me, I never will. You would not be my tempter, would 
you, my son ? ” 

Donald’s face clouded for a moment, and then broke 
into a smile. “No, father, there is not much fear of 
that. But I do wish there was some way of getting the 
money to pay for me at the university.” 

“ Did it ever occur to you that you might earn it your¬ 
self, Donald ? ” asked Mr. Grant, looking at him intently. 

“ I earn it! How could I, father ? ” inquired Donald, 
opened-eyed in wonder. 

“ How did Mr. McLeod and Mr. Munroe, and other 
students at the university pay their own way ? ” questioned 
Mr. Grant. 

“ By teaching, father ? I become a teacher ? ” And 
Donald laughed merrily at the idea of such a thing, for 
he deemed himself quite too young to fill a teacher’s 
place. 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 79 

“ By teaching, Donald, certainly. Why not ? You 
are fully competent, even if you are rather young,” 
returned Mr. Grant, in a tone that showed he was 
thoroughly in earnest. 

“ But where would I get a school, father ? ” demanded 
Donald. 

“ Without going away from home, my son,” answered 
his father ; and then he went on to explain that he had 
had the matter in hand for some time past; that the 
Rivervale people wanted a school all the year round ; 
that he had suggested Donald as the teacher to the other 
trustees, who had heartily consented to his being given 
the position ; that the salary would be sufficient for him 
to save in two years enough to pay his expenses for a 
corresponding period at the university. 

Donald listened to all this with strangely mingled feel¬ 
ings. The idea of teaching right at his own home both 
attracted and repelled him. The thought of the two 
years’ delay was far from pleasant to his eager, ambitious 
nature; but the thought of paying his own way and not 
being a burden to his father was full of fascination. For 
another hour he discussed the question with his father, 
who answered him wisely, patiently, lovingly. Then, as 
if by a sudden inspiration, he sprang to his feet, and 
grasping his father’s hand, cried in accents that rang 
with bright determination: “ Father, I will take the 
position, and do my level best to be a good teacher. It 
will be hard work at first, no doubt, but I will just stick 
to it in spite of everything.” 


CHAPTER VIII. 


THE SMOOTHING OF THE WAY. 

D ONALD went to sleep that night in the full fervor 
of his resolution to undertake the office of teacher, 
and dreamed that he was in a large room, even more 
spacious than Mr. Patterson’s, with a great number of 
boys before him who paid him the utmost respect, and 
rendered his task a very easy one. 

But when he awoke to the reality of a dull, rainy day, 
and to the fact that he had pledged himself to an enter¬ 
prise that would inevitably demand his utmost patience, 
determination, prudence, and self-control, in order to 
insure success, the dampening chill which had fallen upon 
the face of nature seemed to fall upon his heart also. 
The matter presented itself to him in a very different 
light from that in which it had presented itself the 
previous night. Many drawbacks that did not then sug¬ 
gest themselves did so now. He would, indeed, have 
much preferred making his first appearance as a teacher 
among strangers. That would not be one-half so hard 
as doing it among those who had been his friends and 
playmates from the beginning. The sorrowful words of 
Christ when his own neighbors were offended with him, 
“A prophet is not without honor save in his own country 
and in his own house,” persistently obtruded themselves 
80 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 81 

upon his thoughts. He would, of course, have his own 
younger brothers among his scholars. How was he ever 
going to keep the irrepressible Charlie in order, and what 
would he do were the twins to take it into their mischiev¬ 
ous heads to so misbehave as to render condign punish¬ 
ment necessary in the interests of discipline ? 

He did not trouble his father with these misgivings, 
but he confided them all to his mother; and her shrewd, 
kindly counsel comforted and cheered him not a little. 

“ Donald, darling,” she said, passing her hand softly 
over the crisp black curls that surmounted his flushed 
forehead, “ you are too apt to want to cross the bridge 
before you come to it. Maybe, I don’t say that they will, 
but maybe every one of the difficulties you have been 
worrying over will have to be faced by you. But they 
certainly will not all come at once, perhaps any two of 
them together; and surely, Donald, surely, you are quite 
equal to one at a time. Now don’t you think you are? ” 

Donald laughed. 

“ Yes, mother, I do. You are quite right. I am too 
fond of meeting trouble half-way. I must really try and 
be more sensible. I have promised father to take the 
school, and I ought to be grateful for getting such a good 
chance to begin to earn something for myself, instead of 
grumbling over what may never happen.” 

And so, with the clouds in good part cleared away, 
Donald went off whistling cheerfully. 

He would have two months of vacation before entering 
upon his new sphere of activity, and these he made up 

F 


82 DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

his mind to spend not over his books, but in assisting his 
father to harvest the crops upon the score of acres the 
product of which materially helped to supplement the 
somewhat scanty profits of carriage making. Into the 
work of hay making, potato digging, and other agricult¬ 
ural tasks, he entered with the same vim that he did into 
his studies, and his vigorous action was not long in infect¬ 
ing his brothers; so that with Charlie, Duncan, Bob, and 
Harry as his willing lieutenants, he really took the work 
quite out of his father’s hands, very much to Mr. Grant’s 
gratification, as he was thus enabled to give more time to 
his shop than he had been free to do any summer before. 

While Donald was in the very midst of this health*giv¬ 
ing work, who should suddenly appear upon the scene, a 
most unexpected though most welcome visitor, but Mr. 
Munroe. 

As the coach stopped one evening before Grant the 
blacksmith’s door for the customary exchange of mail, 
out stepped the well-remembered teacher; and his quick 
eye catching sight of Donald sitting on the doorstep of 
his father’s shop resting after the toils of the day, he 
called out: 

“ Is that you, Donald Grant ? Have you any welcome 
for an old friend ? ” 

At the sound of his voice, Donald sprang to his feet, 
and the next instant had Mr. Munroe’s hands clasped 
in his. 

“ Mr. Munroe! ” he cried, his face beaming with in¬ 
tense delight. “ How glad I am to see you! Oh, but 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


83 


you are welcome! A thousand times welcome! ” And 
he wrung his hands again in very excess of joy. 

Mr. Munroe’s pale face flushed with pleasure at this 
greeting, which showed unmistakably how big and warm 
a place he held in his former scholar’s heart. 

“ It is very, very pleasant, Donald,” said he, “ to get 
such a reception; and I have come to stay awhile if 
your mother can make room for me. I am taking a little 
holiday, and I could not resist the temptation to have a 
look at Rivervale and my good friends there. So that 
is just why I have come.” 

“ Come right over to the house, sir,” said Donald, 
picking up the valise which the driver had handed 
down. 

“ Won’t father and mother be glad to see you again ! ” 

Mr. Munroe’s reception at the cottage was no less 
warm than Donald’s had been. Mrs. Grant assured him 
that the spare bedroom was just waiting for him, and 
then bustled about getting him some supper. Every 
one of the family down to little Meg was delighted at the 
advent of the visitor, and to Mr. Munroe, who had lost 
both parents while a child, and who was practically alone 
in the world, there came a feeling of being thoroughly 
at home that was indescribably grateful. 

His stay with them continued for a fortnight, and was 
a period of unalloyed happiness for Donald. It seemed 
that Mr. Munroe was now a gentleman of leisure. An 
uncle who had never done anything for him in his life¬ 
time, atoned for his neglect when dying by leaving him 


84 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


a snug fortune. It was therefore no longer necessary 
for him to work for his own support, and his state of 
health being far from satisfactory, he had decided to 
spend his days in study and travel, feeling sure they 
would not be many at best. 

He was greatly pleased with Donald’s progress, and 
his brilliant career at the academy. He also heartily 
approved of his plan to teach at Rivervale. 

“ It will do you a vast deal of good, Donald,” said he, 
“ and you will derive ever so much more benefit from 
your studies at the university because of having taught 
for a while.” 

Mr. Munroe entered heart and soul into the every-day 
life of the family. He went with the boys to the hay 
field, and botanized along the fences while they filled up 
the cocks or loaded the hay carts. He bathed with them 
in the river at sundown. He took them off for long 
rambles in the back pasture, and pointed out to them a 
thousand things in the worlds of plant, insect, and bird 
life that they had never noticed before; and then, in 
the long warm evenings he delighted Mr. and Mrs. Grant 
by talking in a wonderfully bright and interesting way 
of what he had heard or seen, often reading to them out 
of his favorite books, of which he had several in his 
valise. His visit was a delight to the whole household, 
and general gloom reigned when he took his departure. 
Before going, he in some measure mitigated the sorrow 
Donald took no pains to conceal, by saying to him: 

“You must stay with me when you come up to attend 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 85 

the university. I am keeping bachelor’s hall in my 
uncle’s house, which is now my own, you know, and I 
think I will be able to make you tolerably comfortable. 
In the meantime, Donald, for fear you should forget me, 
I am going to send you a batch of books and magazines 
now and then. You will enjoy them, I know.” 

Enjoy them ! Little fear of his failing to do that, when 
his heart fairly hungered for just such things ; and what¬ 
ever Mr. Munroe sent would be sure to be good. He 
thanked his kind and thoughtful friend over and over 
again, and assured him that he would make good use of 
his benefactions. 

Mr. Munroe did not forget his promise when he re¬ 
turned to Chebucto. Thenceforward, every week there 
was a parcel in the mail bag for Donald, containing a 
magazine or two, a couple of weekly periodicals, and 
sometimes a book; for the sender, having now little else 
to do, was an omnivorous reader, and loved to share the 
pleasures of literature with those whom he knew would 
appreciate them. 

At an early opportunity after his decision to undertake 
the Rivervale school, Donald made it known to Mr. 
Patterson. He felt bound to do this because he had given 
the head master to understand that he was going up to 
the university that autumn, and he considered that he 
was entitled to know of his change of plan. Much to his 
surprise, Mr. Patterson, instead of expressing sympathy 
and regret as he had expected, congratulated him upon 
having so easily and promptly obtained a position. 


86 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


“ It will be the best thing in the world for you, Don¬ 
ald,” said he, heartily, laying his hand upon his shoulder. 
“ Two years of teaching now will, in the end, be actually 
better for you than two years of study, because the ex¬ 
perience will be of inestimable value to you all through 
life. I have often wished that I had stopped in the 
fniddle of my college course and taught for a year or two 
before going on to complete it. I am sure I would be a 
better teacher to-day if I had done so; and in your case, 
Donald, whether it be your purpose to take up a profes¬ 
sion, or to become a professor, or to enter into the ministry, 
when you look back upon the years spent in the River- 
vale school, I am sure you will never have reason to 
consider them wasted. But, of course, you must keep 
up your studies,” he went on to say ; “ you cannot afford 
to let them lie in abeyance, and now I will tell you what 
I will do. I am deeply interested in you, for you proved 
yourself one of the best pupils I have had at the academy; 
and I am anxious that when you do go to the university, 
you shall go as thoroughly prepared as possible. So I 
am going to make you an offer which I hope you will be 
able to accept, and it is this: You and I, after the 
holidays, will both be teaching every day in the week 
except Saturday. That day is our own. Now, how 
would you like to come into my study every Saturday 
morning, and spend a couple of hours going over with me 
the studies that are necessary to fit you for the university. 
I am thoroughly familiar with the curriculum. Chebucto 
is my Alma Mater, you know, and for my part I will 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


87 


really enjoy going over the work with you. Now then, 
Donald, what do you say ? ” 

Donald had been listening with breathless attention, 
and a face of growing wonder and delight. Was ever a 
boy so fortunate in his friends, so manifestly favored ? 
What else could he say to such an offer than to accept 
it most gladly, and to try to express as best he could the 
fervent gratitude he felt. 

He came away from Mr. Patterson feeling himself to 
be one of the luckiest young fellows in the world, and 
full of a noble determination to show himself not un¬ 
worthy the interest and confidence of such friends and 
benefactors as Mr. Munroe and Mr. Patterson. In this 
spirit he entered upon his duties as teacher of the River- 
vale school, which reopened after the holidays on the 
first day of September. 

His feelings, as he sat at his desk and watched the old 
scholars dropping into their accustomed places, and the 
new scholars shyly taking their seats wherever they could 
find a vacancy, cannot be easily described. He fully 
realized that he was about to be put on trial as he had 
never been in his life before. He was not concerned as 
to the sufficiency of his knowledge. He knew well enough 
that the utmost requirements of his position in that direc¬ 
tion would fall far short of his own attainments, for there 
would be no demand for anything more than the mere 
rudiments of education. 

But he was concerned, and very deeply concerned, with 
regard to his knowledge and command of himself, as dis- 


88 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


tinguished from his knowledge and command of the sub¬ 
jects to be taught. All the objections to his undertaking 
the charge which had come into his mind when his father 
first suggested it, now returned in full force; and in spite 
of the encouragement he had received from Mr. Munroe 
and Mr. Patterson, and the new strength with which they 
had inspired him, his heart felt cold and heavy as lead. 
If only he were among strangers the problem would not 
be one-half so embarrassing. Their judgment would be 
far more lenient, their expectations far less difficult to 
satisfy, than those of the people among whom he had 
been born and bred. 

In twos and threes, the boys and girls over whose intel¬ 
lectual development he was to preside for the next two 
years came in and distributed themselves over the school¬ 
room. Having nothing else to do, they, with one consent, 
devoted themselves to a minute inspection of their new 
teacher, and to the exchange of whispered comments con¬ 
cerning him, all of which could hardly be expected to 
tend toward allaying his mental perturbation. 

Prompt to the minute of the time for opening, however, 
with an admirably assumed expression of entire uncon¬ 
cern, he touched the bell before him and called the school 
to order. Perfect silence having been obtained, he read 
a few verses from the Bible, and followed them with a 
brief prayer which he had carefully prepared beforehand, 
and which he intended to use every morning while he 
taught there. 

To the reading of the Bible the scholars were accus- 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


89 


tomed; but the prayer was an innovation that quite sur¬ 
prised them at first. They exchanged glances of inquiry 
and, in some cases, of amusement. But Donald saw 
nothing of this. His eyes were reverently closed, and 
his tone was so devout and earnest that before the 
prayer ended all the inattentive ones were behaving 
as they ought. He had overcome them by his sheer 
sincerity. 

When the school really settled down to work, as it did 
in the course of a day or two, he was glad to find the un¬ 
dertaking concerning which he had entertained so many 
apprehensions far less formidable than he had imagined. 
The school consisted of about forty boys and girls, the 
latter being in the majority, as the harvest season had 
not yet ended; and there were some boys at home helping 
their fathers, who would come to the school when the 
crops were all safely garnered and they could be spared 
from the farm. Of those then present before him, all 
were at least two years younger than himself. In addition, 
then, to the dignity of his position and superior attain¬ 
ments, he had a further advantage in age, which would, 
of course, be helpful in maintaining discipline. 

But this advantage he had reason to believe would not 
be his very long. The maintaining of the school through 
the winter, it was fully expected, would make some change 
in its constituency, as at that time of year there was 
always at home a number of young men who spent the 
summer upon the salt water, fishing or trading along the 
coast; and the trustees counted upon some of these taking 


90 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


advantage of the school to add to their scanty stock of 
learning. 

Donald did not look forward to the advent of these 
possible pupils with any degree of pleasure. They were 
certain to be rough, uncouth, and no less difficult to keep 
in order than to teach. They were certain, he believed, 
to cause trouble in some way before he could hope to get 
them under control, and he heartily wished that they 
would not turn up at all. As will presently appear, his 
apprehensions of trouble were not ill-founded. 


CHAPTER IX. 


THE PROPHET IN HIS OWN COUNTRY. 

S soon as Donald came to know his scholars suffi- 



ciently well to obtain a good idea of their relative 
proficiency and capabilities, he set about a careful classi¬ 
fication of them according to what he conceived to be 
the actual standing of each scholar. In the carrying 
out of this he, so to speak, struck his first sand bank. 

His immediate predecessor had been one of that easy¬ 
going sort of people who never face a difficulty if they 
can possibly avoid it, and whose idea of life is to move 
along with as little friction as possible. He had, accord¬ 
ingly, allowed the scholars to assort themselves into 
classes pretty much after their own preferences; an ar¬ 
rangement which they highly appreciated and which 
they were very loth to abandon. When, therefore, Don¬ 
ald, quickly recognizing the impossibility of having any¬ 
thing like satisfactory work done so long as such an ab¬ 
surd condition of things was suffered to exist, set about 
the establishment of affairs upon a proper basis, he came 
at once face to face with the difficulties that meet all re¬ 
formers. The scholars felt that he was interfering with 
a vested interest, and met his directions, not with dis¬ 
obedience or outspoken protest, but with a certain sub¬ 
missive hostility that troubled him very deeply. 


91 


92 


DONALD GKANT’s DEVELOPMENT. 


His hope and purpose was to win not only the respect, 
but the affection of his scholars, and here, at the very 
outset, he was stirring up a spirit of opposition that would 
no doubt be difficult to allay again. Yet he had no 
alternative other than the arrangement of the classes, if 
he would achieve any satisfactory results in his work; 
and never in his life was he more determined about any¬ 
thing than that as a teacher he would be at least as 
successful as he had been as a student. Go right ahead 
he must, therefore, whatever the consequences. 

By the end of a fortnight the various changes neces¬ 
sary were all completed, and the machinery of the school 
was working with admirable regularity and apparent 
smoothness. Although much the youngest teacher who 
had ever accepted the position, Donald bore himself in 
a way that effectually prevented any liberties being taken 
with him. His keen consciousness of the difficulties of 
his situation imparted a serious air to him that greatly 
impressed the very ones whose presence he feared would 
most likely lead to complications, to wit: the high- 
spirited Charlie and the merry little mischiefs, Bob and 
Harry. However good comrades they and Donald might 
be at home and in play, when once they were within the 
walls of the schoolroom he seemed to them somehow an 
altogether different individual, and they were little dis¬ 
posed to presume upon their relationship. In regard to 
Charlie, moreover, Donald had taken a step that spoke 
volumes for his natural sagacity. He admitted him suffi¬ 
ciently into his confidence to enable him to appreciate 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


93 


„ne trying nature of his post, and then appealed to him 
to help him all that he could by setting the other boys 
an example in regard to well-prepared lessons and per¬ 
fect behavior. 

The appeal was entirely successful. It touched the 
right chord in Charlie's breast, and he responded with 
a warmth of good intention, the sincerity of which was 
not to be mistaken. Better still, he kept his promise as 
well as one with a volatile nature like his could reason¬ 
ably be expected to do, and proved himself very helpful 
to his brother in the very way the latter wished. 

In the performance of his duties Donald kept both 
Mr. McLeod—whom he had by no means forgotten— 
and Mr. Munroe before him as models for his guidance. 
The two chief principles that he set for himself were 
these: first, to tell his scholars nothing that they could 
tell him, to make them do their own thinking, and to 
teach them to like to do it themselves instead of having 
it done for them; and second, to make as little use of 
the rod as possible. The resort to brute force, except in 
extreme cases, seemed to him a confession of failure. 
He had not forgotten—he never would forget—his strug¬ 
gle with the teacher who had beaten him black and 
blue; and the memory of his contempt for the man who 
knew no better way of proving himself right than by 
blows remained with him as a warning against his fall¬ 
ing into the same grievous error. 

It was not unnatural that his evident reluctance to 
resort to physical punishment as a means of securing 


94 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


obedience should be at first misunderstood by the 
scholars. They were too slow of comprehension to 
perceive his purpose to introduce and stand by a better 
way, and they misconstrued his so doing into a lack of 
courage on his part. Donald soon observed this, and it 
shook his resolution not a little. But a discussion of the 
subject with Mr. Patterson, with whom he had talked 
over his experience every Saturday at their morning 
meeting, confirmed him in his purpose to persevere, and 
he went on steadfastly. 

So far as he was himself concerned, it would have been 
much easier when punishment was merited to administer 
a proper number of blows, and thus end the matter; for 
the penalties he inflicted he had himself in part, at least, 
to share, his method being to appoint the culprit a certain 
task, and then to keep him in after school until it was 
performed. This, of course, meant his staying in also, 
which was not at all to his liking; for at the end of the 
long session he usually felt quite as eager to get out into 
the open air as any of the scholars. But this undesirable 
feature of his system he accepted as inevitable, and found 
some compensation in employing the time upon his own 
studies. 

Upon the whole, the days slipped by very smoothly. 
The opposition aroused by the re-classification seemed to 
have entirely subsided again, and despite occasional 
struggles with some particularly dull or obstinate scholar, 
Donald found little to justify the apprehensions of diffi¬ 
culty which had weighed so heavily upon his heart three 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


95 


months before. Mr. Patterson’s counsel was of inestima¬ 
ble value to him. At their weekly meeting their first 
business was, of course, the work that Donald was doing 
in preparation for the university. After spending an 
hour or more at this, Mr. Patterson would then push the 
books aside, saying: “That will do for this morning. 
You are making excellent progress, Donald. You will 
certainly be able to enter the second year at once, which 
will be a great advantage. Come now, let us hear how 
the Rivervale school is getting on.” 

Whereupon Donald would proceed to relate whatever 
of interest had occurred during the week, and Mr. Pat¬ 
terson would comment freely upon his report, giving him 
the benefit of his experience upon all points concerning 
which Donald sought his counsel. The advice he gave 
was always faithfully followed. His former pupil had 
the utmost confidence in his wisdom, and Mr. Patterson 
was thus enabled to have put into practice certain theories 
as to the best methods of elementary education which in 
his own position he could not apply. The arrangement 
was therefore mutually advantageous, and the head master 
was very well pleased to hear from Donald, week by 
week, hopeful accounts of the condition of the school. 

In this pleasant fashion matters went on until late in 
November, and then Donald was called upon to face the 
first real crisis in his career as a schoolmaster. This was 
brought about by the advent of the big boys, who were 
away from home all summer and only spent their winters 
at Rivervale. They made their appearance one by one 


96 DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

until there were six of them in all, for the most part 
awkward, overgrown youths. They were as full of conceit 
as they were empty of knowledge, and no less lacking in 
manners than in serious purpose to benefit by the school. 
The truth of the matter was that they came not to learn, 
but to have some fun out of it. They had nothing to 
occupy their time until spring, and as the master of all 
mischief is ever ready to find employment for idle hands, 
these lounging fellows took it into their heads to see 
whether they could not make the school supply them with 
amusement for the winter. They were all as old or older 
than Donald, and, with one exception, his superiors in 
height and strength ; and they had entered into a solemn 
league with one another that under no circumstances 
would they submit to punishment from the “ young kid of 
a teacher,” as they called him ; if necessary, combining to 
prevent him from enforcing the penalties he might impose. 

An especial relish was imparted to their proposed 
amusement by the fact of Donald’s youth and of his be¬ 
longing to the settlement. They did not live at the 
crossroads nor in the immediate neighborhood. Their 
homes were on what was known as the Harbor Road ; 
and there never had been any great degree of cor¬ 
diality between the Rivervale folk and those of Harbor. 
They had the right to attend the school, however. In¬ 
deed, as has been already mentioned, their presence was 
counted upon by the trustees, and the desire to do them 
some good was one of the causes that led to the school 
being continued through the winter. 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


97 


Donald regarded his new pupils with a good deal of 
inward trepidation. He was conscious that although the 
current of affairs had been running with gratifying 
smoothness for some time past, there nevertheless existed 
in the school a latent spirit of antagonism that only 
wanted leadership to manifest itself openly; and he had 
good reason to apprehend that this leadership would be 
supplied by the Harbor boys at the first opportunity. 
They had made no secret of their intention to “ bullyrag 
the youngster,” as they expressed it, and this, of course, 
had not been long in reaching his ears. 

But not a sign of his anxiety did he betray to any one. 
His fixed determination was, whatever might happen, to 
face the contest alone, and to ask help from no one un¬ 
less matters went utterly beyond his control. He knew, 
of course, that an appeal to the trustees would remove 
the difficulty at once, as the Harbor boys would be for¬ 
bidden the school. That, however, was the very thing 
he wished to avoid. His hope and desire was not only 
to win over the disturbing element to the side of order, 
but to do these rough, uncultivated lads who had had so 
few chances of improvement, some positive good. To 
have them banished from the school in the event of their 
attempting to carry out their foolish boasts would be a 
hollow victory. But to keep them in the school, to en¬ 
list their interest, to awaken their ambition, and perhaps 
to gain their good opinion and liking, that would be a 
triumph well worth much prudence, patience, and stead¬ 
fast self-control; and to the accomplishment of this end 
G 


98 DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

Donald, not forgetting to seek divine blessing and guid¬ 
ance, resolutely applied himself. 

During the first week of the presence of the Harbor 
boys in the school, nothing out of the ordinary course of 
things occurred, although Donald did not fail to notice 
a certain half-suppressed restlessness among the other 
boys at times, that showed there was a general expectancy 
of something exciting being in the air. Donald took 
care to assign his big scholars seats where they would be 
right under his eye, and to keep them as far apart as 
possible. They obeyed all his directions with reasonable 
promptness, and made tolerable efforts to master the 
none-too-difficult lessons he set them. To be sure, their 
answers at times were so ludicrously inaccurate that it 
seemed as if they were thus intended, in order to turn 
the proceedings into a kind of farce. But Donald, keep¬ 
ing both his risible faculties and his temper well under 
control, never for a moment evinced that he suspected 
anything of the kind. With unfailing courtesy and 
patience he corrected their errors, apparently sympathiz¬ 
ing from the bottom of his heart with his scholars’ bung¬ 
ling attempts. 

The leader of the Harbor Road party was Angu3 
Gillis, a tall, lank, raw-boned, red-haired, freckle-faced 
fellow, whose otherwise expressionless countenance was 
at times lit up by a cunning leer that showed he was by 
no means so stupid as, for some hidden reason, he pre¬ 
tended to be. The way in which he mangled the simple 
lessons assigned him would certainly have provoked the 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


99 


majority of teachers either to contemptuous laughter or 
indignant wrath, and if Donald had not been so fully 
on his guard he would without doubt have given way in 
one direction or the other. 

But in spite of many temptations, he restrained him¬ 
self with admirable self-control until at length, one day, 
Angus, who evidently thought it was time to begin to 
“ bully the youngster,” not content with making a fool 
of himself, undertook to make a fool of the schoolmaster 
also. 

The spelling class was ranged before the desk, Angus 
in his usual place at the foot. The other scholars had 
answered satisfactorily, but when Donald came to Angus 
he detected signs of that leer of low cunning which was 
an augury of trouble. The word given out was a rather 
difficult one as it happened, being “manslaughter.” 

Donald pronounced it slowly, and distinctly enough to 
be heard down at the door. But Angus, assuming an 
expression of blankest stupidity, put his hand to his ear, 
and bending his head forward, ejaculated: 

“ Eh ? ” 

The tone was utterly wanting in respect, and for an 
instant a dangerous light flashed in the teacher’s dark 
eye3. Controlling himself, however, he fixed his gaze 
upon Gillis until the latter’s eyes sullenly dropped, and 
then said, in a clear, steady voice: 

“ The word, Angus, is manslaughter .” 

It would have been the height of folly and falseness 
for Angus to pretend that he did not hear this time, so 


100 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT* 


with a sort of grunt that might be interpreted as an 
assenting “ Oh! ” he hung his head in an attitude of pro¬ 
found cogitation, and putting his right hand up to his 
coarse red locks, proceeded to tug at them as though he 
hoped in that way to stimulate his dull brain. He looked 
so completely bewildered that the class, all of whose 
members knew well enough that he could spell the word 
aright if he chose, broke out into an audible laugh which 
Donald promptly quelled by a sharp command of 
“ Silence! ” 

At last inspiration seemed to come to Angus. He 
lifted his tousled head, and with an expression whose 
gleam of malicious intelligence made his ridiculous an¬ 
swer all the more aggravating, doled out his reply after 
this fashion: 

“ M-a-n man,” then a sigh of relief, and a long pause 
as if to get breath for the remainder, “ s-l-o-r slor, 
manslor, t-a-r tar, manslortar.” 

A burst of laughter that could not be controlled came 
from the class, and Angus, with a triumphant grin, looked 
boldly into his teacher’s face. Donald realized that the 
crisis had come, and set his teeth for the inevitable 
struggle. 


CHAPTER X. 


THE TURNING OF THE TIDE. 


S TRIDING swiftly across the platform until he con¬ 
fronted Angus in his ignominious position at the foot 
of the class. Donald drew himself up, his arms straight and 
stiff at his sides, his hands clenched tightly, and his whole 
appearance so like that of one ready to spring and strike 
without further warning, that the big fellow, whose height 
almost equalled Donald’s although he had the advantage 
of the platform, shrank back out of reach and threw up 
his arms in a gesture of defense. 

Ignoring this movement as though it had not been 
made, the young teacher, fixing his flashing eyes upon 
the now rather dismayed scholar, said in the sternest 
tone he could command : “ Once more—spell * man¬ 

slaughter.’ ” 

There was perfect silence in the room as Angus, still 
keeping behind the line and evidently in a very confused 
state of mind, endeavored in earnest to spell the word cor¬ 
rectly. But although he could have done it easily enough 
under ordinary circumstances, he was by this time so de¬ 
moralized that he could not get the right letters into their 
proper order. He tried again and again, each effort 
being wider of the mark than the preceding one, until at 
last Donald, seeing that it was hopeless to attempt to get 

101 


102 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


anything better from him then, said, without relaxing the 
sternness of his tone: “ That will do. You need not try 
again. Come up here.” 

For a moment Angus looked as if he would not obey, 
but as Donald made a movement as though to lay hands 
upon him, he changed his mind and sullenly stepped 
forward. 

“ Here,” directed Donald, putting a spelling book in 
his hands opened at the lesson for the day, “ take this 
and stand back there against the wall until you have 
learned your lesson.” 

Angus cast a quick glance around the room, seeking 
to find in the faces of his companions from the Harbor 
Road signs of sympathy that would encourage him to 
break out in opeu revolt. But so prompt and energetic 
had been Donald’s action, and so commanding was his 
appearance as he stood beside the desk, that not one of 
them dared so much as return the look. Disappointed 
and downcast, Angus then crawled reluctantly to the 
place pointed out, and sought to hide his confusion by 
pretending to be absorbed in the book he held, his heart 
all the while burning with suppressed rage and his brain 
busy with thoughts of revenge. 

Donald dismissed the class, and for some time did not 
call up another. He felt quite certain that although to 
all appearances he had gained the day, the advantage 
was not permanent. Neither Angus Gillis nor the Harbor 
Road faction he headed was to be so easily disposed of as 
that. But just what would be the next happening and 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


103 


how he would meet it were questions that possessed his 
thoughts to the exclusion of everything else. He felt 
that he could not teach while in this frame of mind. He 
must wait until he knew whether or not there was more 
trouble to come. 

As it turned out, he had not to wait long. Glancing 
up from the book he was pretending to read, he caught 
the scholars in the midst of a stealthy smile of amuse¬ 
ment at something being done behind his back. His first 
impulse was to wheel about and discover the cause, but a 
better plan the next instant suggested itself. Affecting 
not to have noticed what was going on, he bent over his 
book again until, looking out from under his eyebrows, 
he again caught the smile spreading through the rows of 
scholars. Then, like a flash, he swung around in his 
chair and was face to face with Gillis. So swift and un¬ 
expected was the movement that it caught the latter red- 
handed, so to speak. Having recovered from his first 
rebuff, he had been endeavoring to express his contempt 
for the young teacher, as well as his intention to get even 
with him, by making hideous grimaces behind his back, 
accompanied by a vigorous shaking of fists and other 
demonstrations of hostile intent. While in the very 
midst of this proceeding, Donald had turned upon him. 
For the first moment he continued the grimace, although 
his clenched fist dropped nervously to his side. Then 
Donald’s voice made him jump, as the command fell on 
his ears: “ Hold out your hand! ” 

The young teacher realized that the time for decision 


104 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


had come. Further parleying was out of the question. 
Gillis must be conquered on the spot, or his authority 
would be seriously impaired. Shortly after taking the 
school he had made a change in the instrument of punish¬ 
ment. This had been a stout cane, which the teacher 
applied to the hands or back of the culprit as he saw fit. 
Donald did not like the cane. He thought it savored too 
much of cruelty; so he had banished it, adopting in its 
place a leather taws-strap that seemed to him a much 
more humane weapon to wield. He held this in his hand 
now, and taking one step toward Angus, he swung it over 
his shoulder as he repeated his command: “Hold out 
your hand! ” 

Mechanically Angus obeyed, his eyes fastened on 
Donald with a look in which fear and rage were strangely 
blended; but ere the blow could fall, he withdrew his 
hand again and put it behind his back. The strap swished 
futilely through the air until it struck full upon Donald, 
without, however, doing him much hurt. Instantly he 
swung it aloft again. “ Hold out your hand! ” he 
thundered. 

Angus brought his hands out from behind his back, 
but it was not in order to render obedience. Instead of 
extending one, as commanded to do, he gathered himself 
together, and with a sudden rush attempted to charge past 
Donald down into the body of the room, where the other 
scholars were watching the struggle between master and 
pupil with breathless interest. 

The movement was a remarkably quick one for so 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


105 


clumsy a lad, yet it did not take Donald unawares. He 
had, in fact, anticipated some such action, and was better 
prepared for it than Angus imagined. Seizing him firmly 
by the collar of his coat, he brought him to a sudden 
stop, and then, in a quieter tone than that in which he 
had last spoken, said : “ Go back to your place, Angus, 
and hold out your hand.” 

But Angus’s evil spirit had now full possession of him, 
overcoming all respect for his teacher, all fear for him¬ 
self, all care for the consequences of such open defiance 
of orders. His face was red with rage, his ordinarily dull 
eyes flashed with fury, and he replied to the command 
by a volley of oaths and a violent attempt to break 
loose. 

Now Donald’s delight in athletic exercises has been 
already referred to, as well as the proficiency he had ac¬ 
quired in them. His favorite amusement was wrestling. 
During his last year at the academy there was not a boy 
there whom he could not throw on short notice. Not 
content with the skill obtained by practicing on his 
schoolmates, he had sought out the champion wrestler of 
the county and persuaded him to initiate him into some 
of his pet devices, until he became almost as expert as 
his instructor. This accomplishment was now going to 
stand him in good stead. The instant Angus endeavored 
to wrench himself free, Donald exclaimed: “ No, no, 
Angus, you shall not do that,” and threw his strong arni3 
about him and gained just the hold he wanted. 

Then there was a sharp struggle, for Angus, though 


106 DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

loosely built and clumsy, had muscles toughened by hard 
work on board ship; and he put forth his utmost efforts 
to extricate himself from Donald’s grip of steel. But 
he strove in vain. He was in the grasp of an expert 
wrestler, while he knew little or nothing of the art; and 
all at once, just when he thought he was gaining ground, 
his knees were doubled under him, his shoulders pressed 
backward, and down he went in a helpless heap upon the 
platform. 

As he fell, one of his companions sprang from his seat 
with the evident intention of rushing to his assistance; 
but with the quickness of a panther, Charlie, who had 
been an impatient spectator of the struggle, and con¬ 
sumed with longing to take part, but afraid to do so un¬ 
til called upon, sprang from his seat also; and seizing the 
heavy iron poker that lay beside the stove, swung it 
menacingly in the air, crying: “ Go back to your seat, 
Rory, or I’ll break your head with this.” 

Rory did not attempt to parley. Back into his seat 
he dropped, while Charlie, now feeling that he had ample 
justification for decisive action, took up a position in the 
central aisle where he could command all the Harbor 
Road boys, and holding his dangerous weapon ready to 
strike, effectually shut off all chance of interference on 
the part of Angus’s sympathizers. 

In the meantime Donald, standing over Angus a little 
out of breath, but entirely master of himself, addressed 
the discomfited boy in a quiet yet firm voice, saying: 
“ Come now, Angus, that is enough foolishness for once. 


I 



Donald Grant. 


Page 106 































































































































































































































































































































































































































DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


107 


Pick yourself up and go back to your place until I send 
you to your seat. I will consider the trouble you have 
just had sufficient punishment if you will behave your¬ 
self.” 

Glad to be let off so easily, for he had fully expected 
that Donald would seize the opportunity to administer a 
good thrashing while he was at his mercy, Gillis scram¬ 
bled to his feet, picking up his book as he did so, and went 
back to the spot where he had been put at first. For the 
time being, at all events, he was completely subdued. 
He recognized Donald not only as his teacher, but as his 
master, and had no more desire to try conclusions with 
him. 

When he resumed his position, Charlie, seeing that 
there would be no further need for his services, quietly 
returned the poker to its place and slipped into his seat, 
not unobserved by his brother, who wondered a little 
what it all meant, but wisely postponed inquiry until 
school should be over. 

There was a general gasp of relief from the school on 
order being thus restored. Many of the scholars had 
been very anxious lest some harm should be done their 
teacher, while others felt a similar anxiety concerning 
Angus. All were correspondingly glad when the strug¬ 
gle came to an end without either being injured; for 
beyond a good shaking, Angus was little the worse for 
his fall. 

For the next quarter of an hour there was almost 
perfect silence in the room. TheD having completely 


108 


DONALD GRANTS DEVELOPMENT. 


recovered his self-control and thought out carefully just 
what he would say, Donald turned to Angus. “ You 
may go back to your seat now,” said he. 

The big fellow obeyed with great alacrity, something 
like a smile spreading over his countenance as he dropped 
heavily into his place. 

“ Will you please all give me your attention, scholars?” 
continued Donald. “ I want to have a little talk with 
you this afternoon before I dismiss the school.” 

With faces full of curiosity, the boys and girls sat up 
on the benches in an attitude of the keenest attention. 
Donald then rose from the chair, and, standing beside his 
desk, addressed them as follows : “ I am not surprised at 
what has happened to-day, for I have been expecting 
something of the kind. Maybe some of you have too.” 
And here he gave a meaning glance at the Harbor 
Road boys. “ Nor am I altogether sorry; for I believe 
it will not occur again. Now I want to ask you a few 
questions, and I want you to answer them promptly and 
frankly. Have I ever been unfair or unjust to any of 
you, or have I seemed to show any favoritism ? ” 

There was a momentary pause, each scholar waiting for 
some other to lead off in answering, and then all at once 
came a chorus of “ No, sir. No, sir.” 

“ Have I treated any of you harshly ? ” continued 
Donald. “ Have I been too severe in punishing any of 
you ? ” 

Again the chorus of negatives. 

“ Don't you think I have done my best to be a faithful 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 109 

teacher and to help you to learn your lessons, so that you 
might get the most good possible from the school ? ” 

“ Yes, sir; indeed you have, sir,” was the hearty re¬ 
sponse. 

“ Well, then, scholars,’*—and now the speaker’s tone 
changed from one of inquiry to affectionate appeal,—“ do 
you think it is treating me in a kind or fair way, when I 
have done my very best for you, to turn upon me and try 
to do me harm ? I know some of you did not like my 
rearranging the classes a little while ago, but you must all 
see now that it was the right thing to do, and that the 
work has gone on ever so much better for it. I know 
too, that some of you think me too young for a teacher; 
but if I can teach you as much as you can learn, what 
matter is it how young I may be? I do want, scholars, 
that we should thoroughly understand each other. I am 
anxious and determined to do the very best I can for you 
all while I am your teacher. Isn’t it only fair and 
reasonable that you should do the best for me ? Iam 
sure I take no pleasure in finding fault with you or im¬ 
posing punishment. I would be only too glad if I never 
had to punish at all; and I want you from this out to 
try to help me have as little punishing as possible. 
Will you promise?” 

There was no mistaking the heartiness of the response. 
Donalds gallant bearing in his contest with Angus Gillis, 
his magnanimous treatment of him after he had brought 
him to submission, and the sincere, engaging way in 
which he now spoke, had completely captured his scholars’ 


110 


DONALD GRANT'S DEVELOPMENT. 


hearts. They were quite ready to spring to their feet and 
cheer for him if they had been asked to do so; and in 
answer to his question they shouted back a unanimous 
“ Yes, sir, well promise,” that delighted their teacher’s 
heart. His face glowed with pleasure as he surveyed 
their beaming countenances, and there was a noticeable 
tremor in his voice as he went on to say : ;* Thank you 
for that answer, scholars. I will try to show you how 
grateful I am for it. You are all dismissed now.” And 
he resumed his seat while the scholars, with much noise 
and bustle, hastened out into the open air, where they 
gathered in groups to talk over the exciting events of 
the day. 

The Harbor Road lads at once set off for their homes. 
They had much to say to one another about what had 
occurred, and what they thought of the young teacher 
who had proved himself so much wiser and stronger than 
they had expected. Rory Chesholm, the one Charlie had 
sent back to his seat at the point of the poker, was for 
making another trial at getting the upper hand of the 
schoolmaster; but, strange to say, no one opposed the 
idea more stoutly than Angus. Donald’s wise leniency 
had affected him more than his skill in wrestling. Ad¬ 
miration, which would soon become liking, had taken the 
place of his unreasonable prejudice. From an enemy he 
was ready to become a friend, and he would not listen to 
any suggestion of further misbehavior ; so that it was evi¬ 
dent that Donald was not likely to have any more trouble 
from the “ Harbor Road gang ” while he was its leader. 


CHAPTER XI. 


A SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENT. 

M R. PATTERSON was greatly interested by Donald’s 
graphic description of his encounter with Angus 
Gillis and its satisfactory termination, when he heard it 
the following Saturday morning. 

“I think you showed most excellent judgment through 
it all, Donald,” said he. “ Really I could not have done 
better myself, old hand at teaching as I am. You cer¬ 
tainly have more than an ordinary share of sagacity, and 
a positive genius for government. I predict for you a 
brilliant career in any line of life that especially calls for 
those qualities.” 

Donald blushed with pleasure at this praise, which was 
evidently no empty compliment, but entirely sincere. 

“ It is very kind of you to say that,” he replied, “ and 
it is a great encouragement to me. I do want to win 
success as a teacher, and I am anxious that my scholars 
should not only respect me, but really like me too, just 
as I did Mr. McLeod and Mr. Munroe.” 

“ Bv the wav, Donald, that reminds me of an idea I 
have had in mind for some time past,” said Mr. Patterson. 
“ Did you ever think of trying to entertain your scholars 
a little?” 

“ Entertain them, sir! ” exclaimed Donald, in a tone 

111 


112 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


of surprise. “I never thought of such a thing. It 
seemed to me my only business was to teach them.” 

“ That is your chief business, certainly,” returned Mr. 
Patterson. “ But do you know, I believe you might 
undertake to entertain them also with advantage both to 
yourself and them.” 

Then, seeing that Donald was very much in the dark as 
to his meaning, he went on to explain himself: “I will 
tell you what I am driving at. You are very fond of 
reading, and you frequently receive books and magazines 
from your good friend, Mr. Munroe. Now, don’t you 
think that you could find in those books and magazines 
many things that your scholars would be very glad to 
listen to, if you were to read to them in an interesting 
way ? ” 

Donald caught the idea at once. The look of wonder¬ 
ing inquiry that had been on his face at first changed to 
one of understanding and assent. 

“ Why, of course I could, Mr. Patterson,” he cried, 
bringing his hand down upon his knee with an emphatic 
slap. “ That is a grand notion. If they will only listen 
attentively, I will like reading to them well enough.” 

“Never fear but that they will listen, Donald,” 
answered Mr. Patterson. “ I used to do it in a school I 
taught long ago, and the scholars’ attention never flagged. 
They all enjoyed the reading greatly, and I dare say it 
did some of them as much good as the teaching.” 

It was not Donald’s way to put off the doing of any¬ 
thing upon which he had decided. Consequently, that 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 113 

very night he looked through the stock of literature in 
his room and got ready to give Mr. Patterson’s suggestion 
a fair trial, being himself, it must be confessed, a little 
doubtful as to whether the Rivervale scholars would 
appreciate the attractions of the kind of literature he 
preferred. 

On the following Monday afternoon, half an hour 
before the time for closing the school, he told them to put 
away their work as he wanted to speak to them about 
something. They, naturally enough, expected some further 
reference to the trouble of the preceding week, and 
were no less relieved than pleased when his communica¬ 
tion proved to be of an entirely different character. 

Very much to his gratification, they received his 
proposal to read and talk with them for half an hour 
each afternoon with every mark of sincere pleasure. 
Even the Harbor Road boys brightened up as the matter 
was explained to them. No doubt they had somewhat 
different notions as to what would be read from those 
that were in Donald’s mind, but this mattered little. So 
long as they were eager for reading, Donald trusted that 
he could enlist their interest and make them enjoy what 
he had selected, almost, if not quite, as much as if they 
had chosen it themselves. 

The success of the innovation was unqualified. Before 
it had been in operation a fortnight, the scholars had 
learned so to look for the afternoon reading and to enjoy 
it, that Donald had only to threaten to suspend it to 
obtain perfect order in event of disturbing noises or to 
H 


114 


DONALD GKANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


quell instantly the slightest manifestation of insubordina¬ 
tion. 

Not only so, but it became a more powerful implement 
of discipline than the strap; for, as he had given the 
scholars distinctly to understand at the start, the reading 
was dependent upon their good behavior and their being 
attentive to their lessons. They had to earn it, so to 
speak. Consequently, when once they came to deem it 
a positive treat, they all, with one accord, took more 
pains to prepare their lessons carefully and to behave 
well than they had ever done before. 

“ You never gave me a better bit of advice than that, 
Mr. Patterson,” said Donald, after reporting to him how 
admirably the experiment had succeeded. “ It is a 
positive pleasure to myself as well a3 the scholars; for 
they evidently enjoy it with all their hearts, and they ask 
such funny questions, sometimes, that you would be 
greatly amused if you could overhear them. Of course, 
I never laugh at their questions, however ridiculous they 
may be. I encourage them to ask about whatever is 
not clear to them.” 

“ That is the idea, Donald,” answered Mr. Patterson. 
“ Encourage them to ask. It stimulates their thinking 
powers. I am wonderfully pleased at my suggestion 
turning out so well. I felt sure it would if fairly tried, 
and I knew you would not fail to give it a fair trial.” 

The success of the reading not only exceeded Donald’s 
expectations, but even his desires. Its fame spread be¬ 
yond the bounds of the school. The boys and girls who 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


115 


listened with such interest to tales of travel and adven¬ 
ture, to descriptions of foreign countries and peoples, to 
accounts of new inventions, to chosen passages from the 
poets, of course went home and told their parents how 
delightful it all was, with the result that ere long some 
of the parents became fired with a desire to be present 
during that last half-hour of the session. Several of 
them approached Donald and preferred their request 
for permission to share the privileges their children were 
enjoying. 

Donald was a good deal surprised at first. He had 
not contemplated anything more than combining amuse¬ 
ment with instruction for the benefit of his scholars; and 
the idea of having a number of old folks added to hi3 
hearers did not strike him favorably. He consulted his 
father and mother about it. They at once supported the 
request. 

“ Why should you refuse it, Donald dear?” said Mrs. 
Grant. “ You would not refuse a hungry man food if 
you had it to give him. These people are hungry for 
brain food, and you have it ready for them. I am sure 
you need not make the slightest difference in what you 
read on their account. They will enjoy what the scholars 
enjoy. My opinion is that you would not be doing right 
to say * no ’ to them. Don’t you think so, father ? ” turn¬ 
ing to her husband. 

“I do, most certainly,” answered Mr. Grant. ‘‘You 
ought to feel highly complimented, Donald, at grown-up 
people wanting to come to your school. It proves that 


116 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


the children must carry good accounts of you home, now 
doesn’t it ? And surely if that is so, you have not the 
heart to shut the door on those who are so eager to share 
in the benefits their children are receiving.” 

Donald smiled and shook his head in a way that im¬ 
plied he confessed defeat. 

“ There is no doubt you are both right and I am 
wrong,” said he. “ I was not looking at it in that way. 
I was just thinking what a pity it was when we were get¬ 
ting along so comfortably and quietly, to be disturbed by 
a lot of big people coming in. I never took into account 
that it might be perhaps as much of a pleasure to them 
as it seems to be to the scholars. I will give it a trial, 
anyway, and if it works all right they can come as long 
as they please.” 

So the following day he gave it out in school that any 
of the parents of the scholars who wished to be present 
at the reading would be welcome, and with a good deal 
of curiosity awaited the response that would be made. 
The next afternoon just before three o’clock, the regular 
time for dismissal being half an hour later, some half- 
dozen men and women stepped quietly into the room and 
took their seats on the vacant benches near the door. 
Donald greeted them with a pleasant bow, and without 
otherwise drawing attention to their presence, took up 
the reading precisely as if they were not there. He had 
no thought of making any change in the course marked 
out, for that would be to the disadvantage of the younger 
scholars, who might thus be left behind. He would 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 117 

simply keep right on. If the new additions to the 
school liked what they heard and found it worth coming 
from their homes to hear, well and good; if they did not, 
they need only cease to come, and matters would be just 
where they were before they had preferred their request 
for permission to be present. At the same time, Donald, 
naturally enough, having agreed to their coming was de¬ 
sirous that they should be in no hurry to go again. He 
was hardly less eager to hold them than if he had in¬ 
vited them to come. 

The reading class in its enlarged form proved a no less 
gratifying success than when it was confined to the school. 
Day by day the number of the grown-up folk increased, 
until the spare benches could hold no more and they had 
to sit in among the scholars. Some days, indeed, so 
many came that the men would have to stand, in order 
that all the women might be seated. 

Not only was the attendance large, but the interest and 
attention was all that Donald could desire. Glad, indeed, 
would poor old Dr. Sternhold have been to meet such an 
appreciative, absorbed audience on Sunday as Donald 
had five afternoons in the week all through the winter. 
Many of those men and women in all their lives had had 
little other reading than the local newspaper,—an ex¬ 
ceedingly poor affair of its kind,—and the Bible, if they 
were Protestants; while if they were Roman Catholics— 
as many of them were—they had had no reading at all, 
for the simple reason that they did not know how to 
read. 


118 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


The stories and articles they heard from Donald’s lips, 
interspersed as they were with bright bits of comment or 
helpful explanation, opened a new world to them. The 
horizons of their narrow lives were extended as they 
could not have imagined before. They took home with 
them for discussion at their fireside new thoughts and 
ideas that gave them something better to talk about than 
the meaningless incidents of their dull daily life. 

Among those who came were big Grant, the black¬ 
smith, and his portly wife. They had no children in 
their home; but they had begged to be allowed to join 
the others, and of course Donald made no objection. 
Although Mr. Grant spoke only for himself, he really 
voiced the general feeling when he said to the young 
teacher one day: “ You are doing us a great deal of 
good, Donald, more, perhaps, than you have any idea 
of; for you are teaching us to think, and some of us 
needed a lesson of that kind pretty badly. Now just 
look at that Jake Gillis,” referring to the father of the 
lad who had given Donald so much trouble ; a great, 
rough man with the head of a bull and much the same 
sort of voice,—a kind of local bully, in fact,—who, 
nevertheless, a week after the reading had been thrown 
open, made his way bashfully in one afternoon and never 
missed a day subsequently. There is a man who maybe 
never thought much about anything outside of his own 
coarse desires and commonplace concerns. But you have 
set him thinking just as you have us who ought to have 
been improving our minds all the time they were lying 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 119 

fallow for want of seed. Gillis thinks you are a perfect 
wonder. Every word you say is gospel to him. If his 
Angus were to attempt to give you any trouble now he 
would take his ox-whip to him. You will never know, 
Donald, how much good you are doing. My wife and I 
get impatient waiting for three o’clock to come. I hope 
when you give up the school you will make your successor 
promise to keep up the reading.” 

“ I am afraid I can hardly guarantee that,” returned 
Donald, smiling. “ But I will gladly promise to do my 
best, for indeed I enjoy the reading class now myself 
more than any other part of the day’s work. It is quite 
flattering to have so many people—nearly all as old as 
your own father and mother—listening to every word you 
utter, and always looking so interested.” 

In expressing himself thus Donald was not simply 
trying to say something pleasant: he was stating a fact; 
for although when first proposed he did not at all wel¬ 
come the notion of having men and women added to his 
school, the result had been so entirely different from his 
expectations, and he had found the marked appreciation 
of his reading so gratifying, that he would now be very 
sorry to be without the grown-up folks of an afternoon. 
Their presence inspired him to more care in preparation 
and more vim in the presentation of what he had pre¬ 
pared. 

“ I am very glad I took your advice, father,” said he 
to Mr. Grant one evening, as he came into the sitting- 
room from his own room, where he had been getting 


120 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


ready for the next day’s reading. “ Whether I can 
do the parents of my scholars any good or not, I cer¬ 
tainly am getting good from having them there. 
They make me pay a great deal more attention to 
what I am going to read. I make sure that I know 
the right meaning of all the big words and understand 
all the references to persons and places, so as to be 
ready for any question that may be asked ; and in that 
way I derive more benefit from it myself than I would if 
I had only the scholars to prepare for.” 

“Ah, Donald, my boy,” answered Mr. Grant, his eyes 
fixed upon his son with a look of ineffable tenderness and 
pride, “ you are learning one of the most precious lessons 
in life. ‘The liberal soul shall be made fat, and he that 
watereth shall be watered also himself.’ You will find 
that in Proverbs—and in all that wonderful storehouse 
of wit and wisdom there are no truer words. You can¬ 
not help another without helping yourself at the same 
time.” 

“ I never thought of it in that way before, father,” said 
Donald, a happy light coming into his face as he spoke ; 
for his father’s words gave him a great deal of pleasure. 
“ I must honestly confess that I took a great deal more 
to heart the bother I imagined it would be to me, than 
any advantage it might be to them. But you have made 
me see things in a different light, and I am glad you 
have; for I do want to be of some use in this world and 
help other people, just as Mr. Patterson and Mr. Munroe 
have been helping me.” 


DONALD GRANT'S DEVELOPMENT. 


121 


“ So long as you have the disposition to help, Donald,” 
returned Mr. Grant, “ never fear that there will be lack 
of opportunity. I don’t want to flatter you, my son ; 
but I cannot help telling you that God has given you 
more than ordinary talents for helping your fellows. 
Just as your playmates at school were always glad to 
let you be their leader and do your bidding, so will it be 
when you go out into the world. You will always find 
plenty willing to follow your lead. How careful you 
must be, then, Donald dear, to lead in the right direction 
—to help others upw r ard and not downward ! ” 

Donald’s face had grown very thoughtful while his 
father was speaking. The earnest, loving words of wis¬ 
dom made a deep impression upon him, and he sat long 
in his own room that night pondering them over. The 
passage “ for none of us liveth to himself,” came into his 
mind and brought him face to face with the great prin¬ 
ciple of responsibility for personal influence, which hence¬ 
forward was to have a larger part in his life than it had 
had thus far. 


CHAPTER XII 


LEAVING THE NEST. 

T HE two years of Donald’s service as teacher of the 
Rivervale school slipped by far more swiftly than 
he could have believed when, all impatient to be off to 
the university, he looked forward to them as a great 
chasm intervening between himself and the object of his 
desire, for the closing of which he wondered how he 
would ever manage to wait. He had no idea then of the 
compensation for the delay that he would find in his work, 
and of the inspiration that he would derive from the 
consciousness of his labor not being in vain. 

There was but one opinion in Rivervale as to the merits 
of the “ boy schoolmaster,”—to wit, that the school had 
never been better taught. So manifest were the admiration 
and respect with which not only the scholars, the Harbor 
Road boys not excepted, but their parents regarded him, 
that his head might have been turned were it not for the 
salutary counterbalancing influence of his high ambition. 
He, of course, found it very pleasant and gratifying to 
be so highly appreciated; but he clearly realized that the 
standards of Rivervale were little guide to those of 
Chebucto, and that even though he might be a triton 
among minnows at home, he would be only a minnow 
among tritons in the larger sphere. So in spite of much 
122 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


123 


adulation, he managed to keep his head reasonably level, 
thereby saving himself many a pang that would inevitably 
have been his in after days had he accepted the estimate 
of Rivervale. 

During all the time his own studies had been faithfully 
carried on. Mr. Patterson’s kind interest never flagged, 
and on very few Saturday mornings did Donald fail to 
present himself in his study, eager to talk over the work 
and experience of the week. Fortunate, indeed, was he 
in having such a friend and counsellor; and many a time 
in after life did his memory go gratefully back to those 
weekly meetings when everything within the range of his 
thought and feeling could be brought forth freely and 
frankly. Mr. Patterson was so sincere, so trustworthy a 
confidant. 

The two years brought little change to the Grant home 
beyond making its members that much older. Hugh 
continued on his quiet faithful ways, an invaluable assist¬ 
ant to his father and a constant comfort to his mother. 
Charlie, having continued at school a year longer than 
he had intended, “just to back up my brother in case of 
another rumpus,” he took pleasure in saying, when the 
second summer holidays ended Donald's term of service, 
hardly knew what to do with himself; and his parents 
were somewhat concerned on his behalf. The desire to 
go to sea had grown stronger as he grew older. Indeed, 
a less affectionate, home-loving boy would have gratified 
it long before by running away if necessary; but Charlie 
was too honest a lad and loved his mother and father 


124 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


too well to play any such mean trick as that upon 
them. 

Hitherto the fact of Donald being at home also had 
helped to keep his restless spirit in check; but when the 
time of his favorite brother’s going away to attend the 
university drew near, he made up his mind that he must 
take wing from the family nest also. To Donald he 
confided his resolution, and entreated his help in obtain¬ 
ing the parental sanction without which he did not want 
to put it into execution. 

The two brothers had a long and affectionate talk 
together, the younger opening his heart to the elder as he 
had never done before; and the result of it was that 
Donald felt convinced it would be better for Charlie to 
have his own way and make a trial of the sea at all 
events, than to be required to give up what was the ruling 
passion of his life. 

“It is just this way,” Charlie had said, speaking in his 
quick, earnest way; “ my heart is set upon going to sea 
just as yours is upon going to the university. Suppose 
father were to object now to your going to Chebucto. 
Wouldn’t it make you feel miserable? Well, it makes 
me just as miserable to have him object to my going to 
sea. I hate the shop. I detest farming. I am not fit to 
be a school-teacher, and if I am not allowed to be a sailor, 
I will not be good for anything. Now, mother and father 
think more of what you say than of all the rest of us put 
together; and if you will only tell them that you think 
I am cut out for a sailor and will never be fit for any- 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 125 

thing else, and that I had better be allowed to go to sea, 
they will not say another word against it.” 

“ I am afraid you give me credit for having more 
influence over father and mother than is really the case, 
Charlie,” said Donald, smiling at his brother’s implied 
compliment. “ But however that may be, whatever my 
opinion is worth, you shall have the benefit of it; for I 
am certain now that you ought to be allowed to have your 
wish in this matter. Perhaps after you have tried one 
voyage you will find it quite enough, and be glad to come 
back and settle down here or in the village. But, at any 
rate, you will evidently never be content until you have 
found it all out for yourself. So I will speak to father 
and mother, Charlie, and tell them what I think.” 

Charlie sprang up with glistening eyes and gave his 
brother a hearty hug. Then standing before him, he said 
in a tone of unusual gravity that bespoke the depth of 
his feeling: “ Donald, if you get their consent I will 
promise you—I will take oath upon my Bible, if you 
like—to be just the same at sea as I would be at home. 
I will never touch a drop of liquor. I will never use an 
oath, and I will keep out of bad company all that I 
know how.” 

Donald put his hands upon the boy’s shoulder, and 
looking right down into his eyes, said solemnly: “ You 
need not swear to that upon your Bible, Charlie, for I 
know you mean it with all your heart. Let it be a cove¬ 
nant between us that may help you in time of tempta¬ 


tion. 


126 DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

When Donald laid the matter before his parents he 
found them, as he had expected, not easy to convince. 
They both dreaded the sea because of the perils to which 
both body and soul were exposed upon it; and only when 
he made it clear to them that by thwarting Charlie’s de¬ 
sires they would in all probability either drive him into 
running away, or, failing that, take all the spirit out of 
him and spoil his whole life, did they very reluctantly 
give their consent to the boy having his way. 

Very fervent was Charlie’s gratitude ; and readily did 
he subscribe to all the promises his anxious mother would 
have him make, among them being one to the effect that 
no matter by what sort of people he might be surrounded, 
he would never, if at all possible, let a day pass without 
reading in his Bible and offering prayer to God. 

A few weeks after this he bade good-bye to his home, 
the squire having been good enough to obtain a berth 
for him in one of his own ships then loading at a port 
some fifty miles distant; whither he went, full of hope, to 
try his fortune in the great world that lies open to the 
adventurous mariner. 

Not long after came Donald’s time for departure; and 
poor Mrs. Grant’s heart was heavy at the thought of 
parting with him also, while he was no less eager for the 
university than Charlie had been for the ship. The 
matriculation examination did not take place until the 
latter part of October, but Mr. Munroe had thoughtfully 
invited him to come up a week beforehand in case he 
should find it necessary to put some finishing touches 


DONALD GRANTS DEVELOPMENT. 


127 


upon his preparation for the ordeal. This invitation 
Donald gladly availed himself of; for despite his unre¬ 
mitting attention to his studies, he naturally felt a good 
deal of nervousness in the matter. 

The journey to Chebucto was full of delightful novelty 
to him. First came the long ride by coach to New Edin¬ 
burgh,—a very pleasant experience in the cool, bright 
autumn weather,—and then the run by train from New 
Edinburgh to Chebucto. Now this was Donald’s first 
acquaintance with the railway, and he found it no easy 
task to maintain his self-composure in the presence of 
this modern marvel. He happened to be standing on the 
station platform when the train came thundering up, and, 
greatly to the amusement of the spectators, was so 
startled by its tremendous rush and roar that, dropping 
his portmanteau, he jumped back half a dozen feet and 
stood staring at the long line of cars in open-mouthed 
astonishment. But the next moment he had recovered 
his self-possession, and joining in the laugh his little 
demonstration had raised, he picked up his bag and fol¬ 
lowed the procession of passengers into the car, deter¬ 
mined not to be betrayed into any such exhibition of 
“ greenness ” again if he could possibly help it. Yet as 
the train rolled smoothly and swiftly along, the novelty 
of the whole thing so aroused his curiosity that he could 
not keep his seat. He went from car to car until he had 
inspected the whole train. He asked as many questions 
of the conductor and brakeman as he thought their 
patience would stand. He even ventured to inquire if 


128 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


he could possibly be permitted to ride in the cab with 
the driver for a while, and finally he managed to settle 
down beside a pleasant-looking young man who proved 
willing to answer the many inquiries that chased one an¬ 
other from his eager tongue. 

How full of interest and enjoyment that hundred-mile 
ride was to him he could not have expressed in words, 
but he greatly entertained his newly made acquaintance 
by his bright and shrewd comments upon the places and 
people they passed in their rapid flight; for although 
there was no lack of pride in Donald's composition, it 
was not of that foolish kind which would rather remain 
in ignorance than court exposure by asking questions. 
It never occurred to him to feign a thorough familiarity 
with the wonders of the railway. He was quite willing 
that everybody should know that he had never been on 
board a car before, and consequently he enjoyed himself 
ever so much more than if he had attempted to sail 
under false colors. 

When the train rolled into the big brick station at 
Chebucto, he was standing on the car platform looking 
eagerly into the crowd for an expected face. He had 
not to look long. On the outskirts of the throng stood a 
slightly built young man not many years his senior, who, 
catching sight of him, waved his hand in token of wel¬ 
come, while a smile of unmistakable gladness irradiated 
his pale face. Springing from the platform, Donald 
pressed toward him with extended hand, exclaiming: 
“ Mr. Munroe, how glad I am to see you! ” 


DONALD GUANAS DEVELOPMENT. 


129 


“ No gladder than I am to see you, Donald,” was the 
answer, as Mr. Munroe put his thin, delicate hand into 
Donald’s sturdy grasp. “ I have been looking forward 
to your coming quite impatiently. What a splendid 
strong chap you are! I wish I had some of your vigor. 
But, come along; we will get your trunk and drive off 
to my place. The cab is waiting for us outside.” 

A quarter of an hour later, Donald was standing in 
what seemed to him the most elegant room he had ever 
seen in his life. Frederick Munroe’s uncle had been 
simply a plain merchant with very commonplace ideas; 
and when the house came into the nephew’s hands it was 
just like the ordinary dwelling of the well-to-do. But 
the new possessor did not have it long before he began a 
transformation that, in the course of a couple of years, 
so changed the place as to make it quite unrecognizable 
by Mr. Munroe, the elder, could he have revisited his 
former home. Everything that a refined taste aided by 
an ample income could accomplish had been done. Soft 
carpets covered the floors, etchings and water colors of 
decided merit adorned the walls, carved bookcases, filled 
with volumes in artistic binding, stood here and there, 
rich portieres drooped across the door spaces; and al¬ 
together the whole effect, although notably quiet and 
subdued, was pleasing in the extreme. 

The handsomest parlor that Donald had hitherto seen 
was Mr. Patterson’s—a very pretty room in its way, but 
no preparation for the combination of luxury and 
elegance Mr. Munroe’s suite of rooms presented. After 
I 


130 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


entering the house and putting off his coat and hat, he 
stood for some minutes looking about him while his host 
went off to give directions about dinner; and there and 
then he made a discovery, to wit, that he possessed the 
faculty of artistic appreciation. Instead of being awed 
and put ill at ease by all this richness and beauty, novel 
as it was to him, he found himself responding to it with 
something like fervor. Of course, he could not as yet 
enter into the thousand and one refinements of art that 
together constituted so satisfying a tout ensemble , but he 
could, and did, enter with all his heart into the enjoyment 
of the general effect; and when Mr. Munroe returned he 
was as much surprised as gratified by his appropriate and 
appreciative comments. 

“ Why, Donald,” he exclaimed, “ you have the soul of 
an artist, or of an art critic, at all events. You seem to 
know right off what are the best things in my room, and 
I am sure I cannot imagine where you learned that at 
Rivervale. It must come to you by intuition.” 

“I think it must,” responded Donald, with a little 
laugh of pleasure at Mr. Munroe’s words, “ for I am sure 
I never saw so many beautiful things in my life before; 
although, of course, I have read a good deal about pic¬ 
tures and other things in the magazines you have sent 
me, and perhaps that has helped me to have right ideas 
about them.” 

Not only was Mr. Munroe’s establishment luxuriously 
furnished, but it was also admirably managed. Together 
with the house, his uncle had left him a housekeeper— 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 131 

an excellent woman, still in the prime of life, who had 
lost both her husband and only son many years before, 
and who had been with the elder Mr. Munroe for ten 
years before his death. The nephew was more than glad 
to retain her services. He placed the entire management 
of the household affairs in her hands, paid her a liberal 
salary, and thus enjoyed a freedom from care in that 
direction such as falls to the lot of few in similar cir¬ 
cumstances. 

Half an hour after their arrival, Mrs. Dodson, the 
housekeeper, summoned them to dinner, and Donald 
followed his host into the dining room. Here everything 
was on the same scale of costly elegance as in the drawing 
room; and as Donald drew his morocco-cushioned chair 
up to the table resplendent with snowy linen, glittering 
glass, and shining silver, there came over him a sense of 
luxurious ease as novel as it was delightful. He could 
not help making a mental comparison between the frugal, 
though ever neat and wholesome, board at home and the 
sumptuous furnishings and fare now. 

But these thoughts were quickly banished from his 
mind as he fell into a lively conversation with his host, 
who had many questions to ask concerning Rivervale, for 
which place and its people he seemed to have a very 
kindly feeling. In thus talking about home, Donald soon 
lost all sense of strangeness, and showed that it would 
not be long before he would adapt himself to his new 
environment. 


CHAPTER XIII. 


NOVEL SURROUNDINGS. 


W HEN Donald went to his room that first night at 
Mr. Munroe's and looked about upon the many 
—to him at least—novel comforts and luxurious appoint¬ 
ments, his feelings found vent in an exclamation of, 
“ Well, if I am not one of the luckiest chaps in the 
world. Just to think of my having such a room as this 
all to myself while I am in Chebucto, and living in such 
a beautiful house. Why, I hardly know myself here. 
I seem to be a different person altogether.” 

At that moment he caught sight of his figure as it was 
reflected in the long pier glass; and at once his face fell, 
and the exultant tone was gone as he continued, still 
speaking his thought aloud: 

“No, I take that back. I do know myself. I do 
not think there is much chance of my forgetting that 
I am Donald Grant, from Rivervale, so long as I look 
like this.” 

And with a rueful expression he surveyed the image 
he beheld in the mirror before him and tried to imagine 
how he must look beside his host. The contrast certainly 
was very striking in many ways; for he was tall and 
well-proportioned, both face and form bespeaking energy, 
endurance, and high spirit, while his ruddy cheeks and 
132 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 133 

flashing eyes were sufficient proof of abundant health 
and vigor. 

Mr. Munroe, on the other hand, seemed of not more 
than medium height; and his slight, almost fragile figure, 
pale, delicate face, gentle gray eyes, and soft, low voice, 
altogether gave one the impression of his being older and 
smaller than he really was. Yet as a matter of fact, he 
stood but an inch shorter than Donald, and had only four 
more years to his credit. 

But it was not the physical contrast that stirred Don¬ 
ald’s mind as he gazed into the glass. His thought lay 
still more upon the surface. It was the contrast in 
clothes that concerned him and put so sudden a damper 
upon his enthusiasm. 

Mr. Munroe took pleasure in dressing himself in care¬ 
ful accordance with the prevailing fashion and with the ut¬ 
most good taste. Poor Donald, although his innate pref¬ 
erence for well-fitting and becoming habiliments was no 
less strong than his friend’s, had never enjoyed the oppor¬ 
tunity of gratifying it. His garments had been homespun 
and homemade until he began teaching; and after that he 
had nothing better to count upon than the very uncer¬ 
tain attempts of old Selvage, the only tailor Beechmount 
could boast, to make him a suit that could be reasonably 
considered a decent fit. 

“It is no use talking,” he soliloquized, turning this 
way and that in order to get a view of himself on all 
sides. “These clothes won’t do for Chebucto. I must 
get something better right away, or I will have no peace 


134 


DONALD GRANTS DEVELOPMENT. 


of mind—or body, either, for that matter.” And then, 
having comforted himself somewhat by this resolution, 
he proceeded to take off the unsatisfactory garments, 
throwing them down as though he wished very much he 
might never see them again. 

At breakfast the next morning he broached the subject 
to his host who, with quick instinct, entered into his 
feelings in the matter and gave him some very sage 
counsel. 

“ You need not concern yourself much about your 
clothes, Donald,” he said, with a pleasant smile of sym¬ 
pathy. “ They are not taken into account at the univer¬ 
sity. Nearly all the students come in from the country, 
and just wear plain homespun like yourself. However, 
perhaps you might as well get one suit for occasions when 
you want to look your best; so we will drop in at my 
tailors this morning and you can order whatever pleases 
you best.” 

“ Oh, thank you, Mr. Munroe,” exclaimed Donald, 
joyfully. “I laid out to get one new suit while I was 
here, you know, and to have it made at your tailor’s; 
and that means perfect satisfaction, I am sure, and not 
everlasting fault-finding as has been the case with old 
Selvage.” 

Accordingly, the same morning they paid a visit to the 
sartorial artists whom Mr. Munroe patronized, and Don¬ 
ald left his order for a suit, the price of which seemed 
to him surprisingly reasonable, considering the quality 
of cloth and style of make-up. He never suspected that 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


135 


his munificent friend had, in an unnoticed aside, directed 
that half the charge should be put into his own account. 

“ Now,” said Mr. Munroe, “ when you get into those 
clothes you will be as well-dressed as any man need be; 
and there is no doubt the knowledge of that does contri¬ 
bute a good deal to a fellow’s peace of mind.” 

“ Indeed it does,” laughed Donald. “ I am quite 
enough of a country bumpkin in my looks and manners, 
and I do not want to proclaim the fact still more obtru¬ 
sively by my clothes if I can help it.” 

During the next few days, under his host’s guidance, 
Donald <f did the lions ” of Chebucto. There was much 
to delight him about the city. The spacious, beautiful 
harbor with the stately ships riding at anchor on its 
blue-green bosom; the miles of wharves and piers 
crowded with all kinds of craft and alive with commer¬ 
cial bustle and activity; the mighty fortress which rose 
above the city or commanded the entrance to the har¬ 
bor, the huge cannon looking out threateningly through 
the dark embrasures ; the long lines of shops, gay with 
goods invitingly displayed and thronged with people ever 
coming and going. To him, fresh from the fields, “ with 
the hayseed still in his hair,” as the saying is, these sights 
were full of delightful novelty; and day by day he felt 
growing stronger within him the determination to find a 
place for himself in this city when his course of study 
was finished; for he felt that he could never return to 
the country and there be content to spend his life. 

But beside making the acquaintance of the city that 


136 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


was to be his home for the next few years, save during 
the summer vacations, he was busy completing his prepa¬ 
ration for the examinations so near at hand. He had 
two objects in view upon which his heart was strongly 
set. These were first, the winning of the country schol¬ 
arship, which would entitle him to a remission of class 
fees and thus save him a good deal of expense; and 
second, to pass well enough to take advanced standing— 
that is, to be permitted to pass by the Freshman year and 
enter at once into the Sophomore class. 

He was now nineteen. If he won advanced standing 
he would be twenty-two when he graduated, quite old 
enough, it seemed to him, to be beginning for one’s self 
in the world; especially as he liked to hope that even 
then his studies would not cease, but that somehow he 
might be able to arrange for a post-graduate course in 
England or one of the great continental universities. 

A week after his coming to Chebucto the examination 
took place. Mr. Munroe accompanied him to the uni¬ 
versity, and bade him “ good-bye and good luck ” as he 
parted with him at the door. The large library room was 
used as an examination hall, and feeling very anxious 
and nervous despite his previous experience of the same 
ordeal, Donald went in and took his seat at one of the 
long tables, where paper, pens, and ink were placed in 
readiness. 

He was a little early, and had time to look about him 
and to try and still his throbbing pulses. Only one of 
the professors was present, a short, stout, round-faced 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


137 


man, who moved about in an energetic way, but took no 
more notice of the different candidates sitting uneasily 
at their places and studying him with curious eyes, than 
he did of the books that stood in rows upon the shelves. 

Of the candidates for matriculation there were nearly 
a score, who came in one by one until the tables were well 
filled, the stout professor taking good care that no two 
were sufficiently close together to be able to render one 
another assistance. Donald examined his companions, 
who were soon to be 1ms competitors, with keen interest. 
They were, with few exceptions, country lads like himself, 
and as a rule his seniors. Only four out of the twenty 
seemed from their general appearance to belong to the 
city. Of the others, one in particular impressed him very 
much by his real or assumed indifference to the situation. 
He appeared to feel quite at home, and not to entertain 
the slightest doubt as to his getting through trium¬ 
phantly. Donald regarded him with a feeling akin to 
envy. 

“ He can’t feel very anxious about the examination,” 
he thought to himself, “ or he would not take things so 
coolly. I wonder whether he comes from the country or 
from the city. If he comes from the country, and really 
knows as much as he seems to think he does, I am afraid 
I have not much chance for the scholarship.” 

There were always two scholarships awarded at the 
beginning of each college term, one being open only to the 
city candidates, and the other to those from the country. 
Donald had therefore nothing to fear from the city lads, 


138 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


however well they might be prepared ; but indeed could 
he have had his choice, he would have much preferred 
that it was with them he had to compete; for they were 
only four in number, and all of them looked as though 
they were not much given to hard study. 

At sharp ten o’clock the prompt professor, who may 
now be properly introduced as Professor Macdonnell, 
rapped upon the desk to command attention, and then 
proceeded to give his very nervous hearers the necessary 
directions as to the conduct of the examinations. They 
were not to hold the slightest communication with each 
other; they were not to make use of any helps in answer¬ 
ing the questions; and as soon as they had finished their 
work, they were to fold their papers neatly together and 
hand them in to him as they passed out of the room. 
Having thus delivered himself, Professor Macdonnell 
handed to each candidate a printed slip upon which were 
the questions to be answered that morning. 

As soon as Donald received his slip and ran his eyes 
hurriedly over it, his heart leaped within him for joy. 
The subjects were Greek and Latin ; and a quick glance 
down the list of questions was sufficient to tell him that 
in his faithful preparation under Mr. Patterson’s direc¬ 
tions, he had gone far ahead of the requirements of the 
examination paper, and would have little difficulty in 
disposing of the list as rapidly as he could write down his 
answers. 

Having satisfied himself of this, he could not resist the 
temptation to glance around at the others before settling 


DONALD GRANT'S DEVELOPMENT. 139 

down to work. It was very evident that they did not all 
share his enviable frame of mind. Some were studying 
their slips as though they could not catch the import of 
all the questions; others wore a dejected expression that 
seemed to say: “ This paper is too hard for me; ” others 
still were gazing around apparently seeking inspiration 
from the book-lined walls; while a very few, and among 
them the over-confident one who had attracted Donald’s 
attention before, were already hard at work upon the 
.answer to the first question. With a very hopeful feeling 
Donald followed their example, and soon all heads were 
bent over the tables and pens were scratching busily. 

Three hours were allowed for the answering of the 
questions ; but at the end of two Donald had cleared his 
paper, and with a sigh of relief he laid down his pen and 
leaned back in his chair to look about him, with a very 
comfortable sense of having done as well as he knew how. 
At once the professor’s sharp eye was upon him, and with 
a marked Scotch accent he inquired: 

“ Have you finished your papers ? ” 

“ Yes, sir,” replied Donald. 

“ Then please hand in your answers,” said the pro¬ 
fessor ; “ and you need not return until two o’clock, when 
the examination in mathematics will be held.” 

Amid the envious looks of those who were still strug¬ 
gling in a sea of difficulties, Donald gathered up the 
sheets of foolscap he had covered, put them neatly 
together, and laid them on the desk. He was the first to 
finish, and Professor Macdonnell gave a quick glance 


140 


DONALD GBANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


first at the answers then at himself as he passed the desk. 
In both cases the result seemed to be satisfactory; for 
his voice had a very pleasant tone, as he said: 

“You have finished your work quickly. I trust you have 
done all you could.” 

“ Oh, yes, sir,” answered Donald, feeling pleased at 
the question. “ I have been a good deal farther in the 
classics than the questions go.” 

“ I am glad to hear it,” returned the professor, regard¬ 
ing him with manifest interest. “ You will find it a 
great advantage in your course to have a good start.” 

Just then the young fellow who assumed to be so en¬ 
tirely at his ease plumped down his answers in a very 
pompous way upon the desk, and Donald went on into 
the hall, whence he hurried off to find Mr. Munroe. As 
it happened, they met in the street not far from the 
university. 

“ Hello! Donald, what luck ? ” the latter asked as 
soon as he caught sight of him. 

“ Not so bad thus far,” replied Donald, pulling out the 
question paper and putting it into Mr. Munroe’s hands. 
“ I answered every question inside of two hours ; and I 
am pretty sure I answered them right too, for you know 
I went over all that work with Mr. Patterson more than 
a year ago.” 

Mr. Munroe glanced over the slip. “ So you cleared 
the paper, eh ? ” he said. “ Well, all I can say is that if 
your answers are correct and you do as well in the other 
examinations, you are pretty safe for both the scholarship 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


141 


and’ the second year; for this is the toughest paper I have 
ever seen set at matriculation.” 

Donald listened to this with kindling eyes. 

“ You don’t mean to say so,” he cried. “ The toughest 
paper you have ever seen at the matriculation examina¬ 
tion, and it did not bother me one bit to answer it from 
beginning to end! I wonder how that other fellow got 
along?” 

“ What other fellow? ” asked Mr. Munroe. 

Donald then described the tall student who had made 
such a show of confidence and composure, and went on to 
give his impression of the "whole proceeding, amusing his 
companion very much by his naive and shrewd comments 
upon what had attracted his attention, not sparing even 
the awe-inspiring Professor Macdonnell. In the after¬ 
noon came the examination in mathematics. Now, 
Donald had not as much liking for this branch of study 
as he had for either classics or English. Algebra was 
hi3 especial bugbear; and when the question slip came 
into his hands he glanced over it in nervous haste to see 
how many questions there were in this subject. Happily 
for him there were but three, and of these he succeeded 
in answering two tolerably well; the other he left un¬ 
attempted. 

On the following morning the examination in the 
English branches took place, and once more Donald felt 
at his ease. Not only had he a decided taste for this line 
of study, but Mr. Patterson was especially strong in it; 
and together they had gone over the whole work of the 


142 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

first two years in the university curriculum. Con¬ 
sequently, he had little difficulty in again clearing the 
paper. 

This ended the examination, and then came the anx¬ 
ious waiting for the result. 


CHAPTER XIV. 


A GOOD START AT THE UNIVERSITY. 

HE results of the entrance examinations at Chebucto 



-L University would be made known on Monday morn¬ 
ing at ten o’clock. In the long, narrow, dreary hall of the 
building, just facing the front door, stood a blackboard, 
which was the medium of communication between the 
grave and reverend senate and the students. Upon it, 
written out in the round clerkly hand of Professor Mac- 
donnell, appeared the lists that were messengers of joy or 
sorrow, of keen exultation or still keener disappointment, 
to those whose fate stood recorded upon them. 

One of the earliest to present himself at the door of the 
university, not yet open, was Donald Grant, looking ex¬ 
ceedingly well in the suit of clothes made for him by Mr. 
Munroe’s tailor, and not unconscious of that fact, either. 
On the contrary, the sense of being so well attired was 
strong enough, in its pleasing influence, to mitigate the 
intensity of his impatience; and he rather enjoyed the 
waiting at the tightly shut door, since it gave him an 
opportunity to institute comparisons between himself and 
those who shared the waiting, with the result expressed 
(mentally, of course) in the following ejaculation : 

“ Well, I suppose I shall have a countrified look for a 
while, anyway, no matter what clothes I put on ; but I 


143 


144 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


have this to comfort me, at all events, that I cannot look 
more countrified than some of these other fellows.” 

While occupying himself with this somewhat Pharisa¬ 
ical line of thought, the door was opened and the crowd 
of students pressed eagerly into the hall, making a great 
clatter on the smooth stone pavement. Donald was in 
the forefront of the throng, which jammed him up so 
close to the blackboard that he could hardly get room to 
read off the lists. 

There were four of them: three long ones and a short 
one. Somehow, his eyes turned first to the short one. 
Its announcements were as follows : “ The City Scholar¬ 
ship,” Arthur Anderson; “ The Country Scholarship,” 
Donald Grant; “Admitted to Advanced Standing,” 
Donald Grant. 

There was no need for Donald to look at the longer 
lists. They could tell him nothing better than the short 
one had already told him. His highest hopes were real¬ 
ized, and in the supreme happiness of the moment it 
seemed as though he must dance and shout for very joy. 

“ Thank God! ” he exclaimed, fervently, turning his 
back upon the blackboard, and urging his way out of 
the close-packed group with his face so illuminated with 
delight that the others could not help noticing him ; and 
while he stood for a moment hesitating as to what he 
should do first and too bewildered by gladness to be able 
to decide, one of them, a handsome, well-dressed, prepos¬ 
sessing young fellow, approached him with outstretched 
hand. 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


145 


“ You look so happy,” said he, smiling pleasantly, “ that 
you must be Donald Grant. If I am correct, let us shake 
hands over our good luck. I am Arthur Anderson.” 

Returning the smile with interest, Donald warmly 
grasped the extended hand. “You are correct, Mr. 
Anderson ; I am Donald Grant, and I congratulate you 
upon your success.” 

“ Thank you, very much,” replied Arthur Anderson. 
“ I don’t mind saying I am more pleased about it than 
ever I was over anything in my life before. Father 
promised me a yacht next summer if I succeeded, thinking 
to himself, no doubt, that he would never be called upon 
to redeem his promise; but I put in a tremendous amount 
of grinding just before the examinations, and that carried 
me through. How did you come out in the different 
subjects ? ” 

“ I never stopped to look,” answered Donald. “ I must 
go back now and see.” 

There were not so many at the board by this time, and 
he had no difficulty in getting to the lists. As he had 
anticipated, he had done best in English, and second best 
in classics. In these two subjects he stood many points 
above any of the other candidates; but in mathematics 
he was only third in the list, although still well up in the 
first class. Having passed first class throughout, his 
general average being over the eighty-five per cent re¬ 
quired, he had fairly won his way into the second year, 
thus saving himself a whole year’s study and expense ; a 
matter of no small importance to one who had only his 
K 


146 


DONALD GRANTS DEVELOPMENT. 


own slender earnings to depend upon to carry him through 
college. 

“ You have done well all around, I see, Mr. Grant,” 
remarked Arthur Anderson at his side. “A good deal 
better than I have. It is well for me that we were not 
trying for the same scholarship, or I am afraid ray yacht 
would never be built. But now, hurrah for ‘ a wet sheet 
and a flowing sea and a wind that follows fast.’ ” And 
after executing several steps of a hornpipe in a lively 
fashion, he caught Donald by the arm, exclaiming: “ Let 
us go out into the fresh air. This place is not big enough 
for me, the way I feel at this moment.’ , 

Nothing loath, for he had taken an instantaneous 
liking to his new acquaintance and could not help feeling 
flattered at his evident desire to strike up a friendship, 
Donald went out with him to the street. They sauntered 
along together, he quite forgetting, as they vivaciously 
discussed their different methods of preparation and con¬ 
fided in one another their plans for the future, that he 
should have hastened off to give Mr. Munroe the good 
news, as was his first intention; and that his good friend 
was no doubt waiting eagerly at home, where a slight 
touch of illness confined him, to hear the results in which 
he felt such interest. 

Presently they came to a very attractive-looking res¬ 
taurant, and Arthur Anderson at once turned in, saying 
in an off-handed manner: “ Come in, and let us celebrate 
our success.” 

Donald, new to the ways of the city, and innocent of 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


147 


all danger in accepting the invitation, went in, and they 
took their seats at one of the marble-topped tables that 
were scattered over the handsome room in the rear, to 
which Anderson made his way with the air of a habitue. 

The waiter at once bustled up, and was given an order 
the purport of which Donald did not catch. He was 
gone a little while, and then returned bearing upon his 
tray a big bottle, wrapped in a white napkin, and two 
wine-glasses that looked fragile enough to be shivered by 
one’s breath. 

“ Ah, ha! ” exclaimed Anderson, as the bottle and 
glasses were placed upon the table. “ This is the stuff. 
I don’t often indulge in a bottle of fizz. It comes too 
high ; but nothing else is worthy of the present occasion.” 
Then, filling up the glasses with a light golden fluid the 
like of which his companion had never seen before, and 
which looked most enticing as it foamed and fizzed and 
sparkled before his eyes, Anderson lifted his glass, saying: 
“ Here’s to to-day’s triumphs and future successes.” 

Donald half mechanically followed his example; but as 
the brimming glass neared his face, he caught the scent 
of its bubbling contents, and, with a sudden start, returned 
the glass to the table so quickly as to narrowly escape 
smashing it upon the smooth marble. 

“ Isn’t this wine ? ” he asked, his face flushing as he 
spoke. 

“ Wine! of course it is; the very best of wine— 
champagne! ” cried Anderson, a little nettled at the 
question. 


148 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


“ Then, if you please, I will not drink any,” returned 
Donald, pushing his glass away from him. “ I never 
drink wine.” 

For a moment Anderson seemed on the verge of 
saying something insulting. His lips curled in a smile 
of contempt, and his eyes flashed dangerously; but re¬ 
straining himself by an evident effort, he managed to ask, 
politely enough : 

“ You are not one of those teetotallers that go to lodge 
meeting every week, are you ? ” 

Donald laughed good-humoredly. 

“ No,” said he, “ I am not. I never belonged to a 
lodge. Indeed, for that matter, I never signed a pledge; 
but I never touch wine or any kind of strong drink, all 
the same.” 

Anderson’s face fell. He had expected to enjoy his 
bottle of champagne with his new acquaintance, and to 
his dismay found himself vis-a-vis to what he would call 
“ one of the cold-water crowd.” It was really too bad, 
and he could not accept the situation without making 
another trial to have Donald drink with him. So putting 
on his most engaging manner, he said: 

“ Well, if you have not taken the pledge, you are at 
liberty to do as you please ; and surely there can be no 
objection to a sociable glass of champagne in honor of 
your having done so well at the university.” 

But Donald by this time was thoroughly master of 
himself, and determined to get out of the restaurant as 
quickly as he could without being rude to Anderson. 


































Donald Grant. 


Page 149, 

































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 149 

“ If you don’t mind, Mr. Anderson,” he replied, in 
a tone whose decision could not be mistaken, “I had 
rather not. I don’t intend to touch wine as long as I 
live.” 

Anderson emptied his glass before speaking again, and 
then with an injured air got up from his seat, saying: 

“Well, of course, I don’t want to have you drink 
against your wishes. We will leave the rest of the bottle 
to the waiter.” 

Feeling regret at his companion’s chagrin, but alto¬ 
gether satisfied as to the rightfulness of his own action, 
Donald gladly left the restaurant. The two walked on 
together for a block, but both felt the situation to be one 
of constraint, and by mutual consent they parted at the 
first corner. Donald hurried off to Mr. Munroe’s, being 
now conscious of a feeling of shamefacedness in that he 
had delayed even for a moment in bringing him the 
news that he well knew would be so welcome to him. 

Mr. Munroe was sitting in the bow window of the 
parlor, looking out expectantly into the street, as Donald 
bounded up the steps all out of breath; for he had run 
a good part of the way in order to make up for his loiter¬ 
ing in Anderson’s company. 

“ Hello! here you are at last, Donald! ” he cried, 
when the latter came into the room, hot and panting. 
“ You were so long coming, I began to fear lest you might 
not have good news to tell. But I think it must be all 
right, you look so jubilant.” 

“ All right as possible,” cried Donald, too excited to 


150 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


sit down. “ I have won the country scholarship and have 
been admitted into the second year.” 

Mr. Munroe sprang from his easy chair and threw his 
arms around Donald’s neck. 

“ You splendid fellow! ” he exclaimed, enthusiastically. 
“ You make me feel proud. A thousand congratulations 
upon your brilliant success. Here,” giving him a push 
into a chair opposite his own, “sit down there and tell 
me all about it.” 

Donald sat down and proceeded to give the full par¬ 
ticulars, not only of the results of the examinations, but 
also of his acquaintance with Arthur Anderson and what 
it had led to. 

Mr. Munroe’s countenance as he listened to the latter 
part of the narration betokened mingled amusement and 
approbation, and when Donald had finished, he clapped 
him on the knee, saying: 

“ You did well, Donald, my boy. you did well. It 
would have been an ill beginning for you to celebrate 
your success by drinking champagne at Roulard’s with 
Arthur Anderson. I don’t pretend to be a teetotaller, 
but I do detest this drinking at bars and restaurants. 
Anyway, Arthur Anderson is not the right kind of a 
college chum for you, and I am very glad you put a 
check upon his advances.” 

He then went on to explain that Arthur Anderson 
was the only son of one of the wealthiest merchants in the 
city, and had been brought up amidst gayety and luxury, 
which made his success as a student all the more remark- 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 151 

able. He had been a wild boy, always getting into 
scrapes of some kind, and promised to be a still wilder 
man, being allowed plenty of pocket money and his own 
way so long as it did not directly cross his father’s. This 
he was politic enough to carefully avoid. Altogether, 
he was not a suitable companion for Donald; and the 
latter, while feeling some regret that so attractive a young 
man should have such drawbacks, fully agreed with Mr. 
Munroe that the less he had to do with him in future 
the better. 

The day after the announcement of the results came 
the formal opening of the university, which Donald 
greatly enjoyed. It took place with a good deal of pomp 
and ceremony in the House of Assembly, the students 
gathering at the university and marching thither in a 
body, headed by the principal and the professors in full 
regalia, their black gowns pleasantly touched with color 
by the blue or scarlet hoods they wore in token of the 
different degrees they held. These hoods at once caught 
Donald’s eye, and on inquiring and being informed what 
they signified, he said to himself with serene resolution : 

“ If I am spared, I shall wear one or both of those 
hoods before I am ten years older. Nothing less than a 
master of arts or doctor of philosophy will satisfy me.” 

He had been so successful hitherto in fulfilling his 
ambitions, that it was little wonder if he was coming to 
think that one had only to be sufficiently in earnest and 
work hard enough, in order to accomplish any purpose 
within the bounds of reason. He knew those blue and 


152 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


scarlet hoods were granted by European universities, but 
that did not dash his hopes of winning them a whit. He, 
too, God willing, would in due time be a student at one 
of these universities, and do his best to earn its honors. 

The principal exercises of the day were the delivering 
of the inaugural address and the reading out of the 
results of the recent examinations. The latter came first, 
and Donald's face blushed with pleasure at the rounds 
of applause which greeted the announcement of his suc¬ 
cess, and the principal’s statement that the general 
average of proficiency shown by the matriculants this 
year had been higher than any previous year. 

Then came the inaugural address; and when the 
venerable principal gave out that this would be delivered 
by Professor McLeod who, after a brilliant course of 
study in England and Germany, had been appointed to 
the chair of Physics, Donald pricked up his ears at the 
familiar name and craned forward eagerly to see who 
should respond to this flattering introduction. 

When the round of applause that the announcement 
evoked had subsided, there came out from the group of 
professors a tall, dark, handsome man about thirty years 
of age, whom Donald recognized at once, despite the 
changes and improvements wrought by time and culture, 
as his teacher at Rivervale ten years before. When Mr. 
McLeod was there he had said he felt sure that he and 
Donald would meet again; and here, sure enough, was 
the fulfillment of his prophecy. 

With an especial feeling of interest, Donald listened to 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


153 


the admirable address Professor McLeod delivered, and 
enjoyed its unwonted originality of thought and expres¬ 
sion. No one applauded the good points with which it 
bristled more heartily than he, and when the speaker 
finished he resolved to lose no time in making himself 
known to him. 

He had not long to wait for his opportunity. After 
the close of the proceedings, some of the professors re¬ 
mained to exchange greetings with friends. One of those 
who did so was Professor McLeod; and after waiting for 
a favorable moment, Donald made bold to present him¬ 
self before him with the question: 

“ Professor McLeod, do you remember me ? ” 

The professor critically surveyed the handsome, stal¬ 
wart lad before him, and then shook hi3 head, saying 
courteously: “lam afraid that I do not.” 

“ I am Donald Grant, of Rivervale,” returned Donald. 

Instantly the professor’s face lit up with a smile of 
unmistakable pleasure, and he grasped the young 
student’s hand in token of hearty recognition. 

“And you are Donald Grant, who used to be such a 
comfort to me in the Rivervale school ten years ago. 
What a fine big fellow you have developed into! And 
you have evidently not forgotten your good habits, seeing 
what a brilliant beginning you have made at our uni¬ 
versity. You must come to my room some evening soon 
and tell me all about yourself. I am glad—very glad, 
indeed—to meet with you again, and shall hope to see a 
good deal of you.” 


CHAPTER XV. 


SETTLING DOWN TO WORK. 



|HE day-after convocation the regular work of the 


-L university for the winter term was begun. Donald 
found that he had to take four “ required ” subjects, and 
was free to take as many “ optionals ” or “ electives ” as 
he saw fit. The required subjects were mathematics and 
classics, of course, chemistry and modern languages; and, 
acting upon Mr. Munroe’s advice, which, happily, too, 
accorded with his own inclinations, he selected as an 
optional the lectures on rhetoric that formed part of the 
first year’s course. 

The professor of rhetoric was Dr. Madell, who had won 
fame, not only as a master of the theoretical side of the 
subject, but as an exponent of its practical value; his novels 
having a wide popularity as much because of their charm¬ 
ing style as of the brilliant imagination they displayed. 
He was a great favorite with the students; for he took 
pains to make his own subject, interesting as it was of 
itself, still more attractive by his vivid presentation of it. 
Then he was always ready to talk about his theme, and 
to follow out its wide ramifications. Donald did not take 
long to find this out, and many a delightful and instruc¬ 
tive discussion of some question suggested by the morn¬ 
ing’s lecture did he have with the genial professor during 


154 


DONALD GItANT ? S DEVELOPMENT. 


155 


the winter. The great world of literature had a strong 
fascination for the young student. To speak and write 
his mother tongue clearly, fluently, forcibly, and, per¬ 
chance, eloquently, was his ruling desire; and, therefore, 
all his preferences in his studies were for those branches 
that helped toward the achievement of this happy faculty. 
Professor Madell was the first author of established 
reputation he had known, and he regarded him with a 
degree of admiration that was closely akin to reverence. 

In mathemetics his leader was Professor Macdonnell— 
a most competent teacher, thoroughly up in his intricate 
subject, and very lucid in his mode of presenting it; but 
as short of temper as he was of body, and given to saying 
cutting things that made him rather unpopular with his 
students. Donald never felt quite at home with him. 
Mathematics was his most troublesome subject. He had 
never taken kindly to it, and the dread of the professor’s 
sharp tongue tended to make him nervous when reciting; 
so that it was always a relief to him when the class was 
over for the day. He took much comfort from the 
knowledge that in the next year he could drop the sub¬ 
ject altogether. Had he known Professor Macdonnell 
better, however, he need not have been so much troubled 
in his mind. The shrewd Scotchman quickly discerned 
those of his students who were really doing their best, 
though their answers might be very wide of the mark at 
times, and what ones of them were shirking the difficul¬ 
ties instead of facing them fairly; and it was for this 
latter class that he reserved his stinging sarcasm. As it 


156 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


was, Donald did his best, and although outdone both at 
recitation and examination by some others whose minds 
had a mathematical bent, he nevertheless managed to 
maintain a creditable standing in the class. 1 

Professor Dawson had the department of chemistry; a 
man of some renown in that branch of science, but not 
at all happy in his method of teaching it. He had a 
hesitating manner and a rather indistinct utterance, so it 
was no wonder if the students much preferred the ex¬ 
periments, in which he was an adept, to his lectures, in 
which he seemed only a tyro. His manner was retiring, 
moreover, and kept the young men at a distance from 
him; so that Donald, who had a very sensitive nature 
and could not bear to seem like an intruder upon an^ one, 
never came to be on easy terms with him, although he 
received great benefit from his instruction. 

Next to literature and languages, Donald loved the 
classics ; and in this subject he had one of the best teach¬ 
ers in the university, as well as the oddest-looking man 
on its staff. Certainly, Professor Thompson’s physical 
appearance gave little hint of the mental powers of the 
man. He was as slim as the proverbial fishing pole. 
He walked in a peculiar tilting way, as though he were 
stepping upon springs. His face was as thin as his body, 
and his features strongly aquiline; yet a rich color 
suggestive of warm blood within mantled in his cheeks, 
and even darkly shaded the farthest tip of his nose. His 
hair was thin and of a golden red hue. But what, above 
all these characteristics, attracted one’s attention was the 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 157 

fact that his left arm was missing. Only a short stump 
marked the place where it ought to have been ; and yet 
so expert and agile was the professor in his use of the 
right, that he seemed hardly to miss the other. 

It took Donald a little while to make his way to an 
easy footing with Professor Thompson ; but once this was 
established, he became much attached to him, and was in 
turn regarded by the professor with a very kindly in¬ 
terest. As will be told farther on, he was destined to 
render his teacher most timely service in an hour of 
great peril. 

The department of modern languages was in the hands 
of Prof. Liechtan, a talented Swiss, well versed in both 
French and German ; a very faithful, energetic teacher, 
under whom Donald made good progress. 

In regard to his fellow-students, Donald found himself 
at first somewhat awkwardly situated, owing to his having, 
by virtue of winning advanced standing, skipped over 
the Freshman year and taken his place among the 
Sophomores. Had he begun with the Freshmen he would, 
of course, have been in just the same circumstances as 
his classmates, and a bond of sympathy would have been 
quickly established among themselves. 

But with the Sophomore class it was very different. 
They had all been one term together at the university 
already. Their likes and dislikes, their friendships and 
rivalries, were already formed. They had pretty well 
gotten one another’s gauge, so to speak. His sudden 
entrance among them, however, took them somewhat by 


158 DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

surprise. They were inclined to regard him as an in¬ 
truder, and to put him “ into chancery,” for a while at 
all events, until they saw what stuff he was made of. 
Some of them, too, looked jealously upon him. If he con¬ 
tinued as brilliantly as he had begun, he must needs prove 
a dangerous competitor for the class honors. They were, 
therefore, not disposed to give him a kindly reception. 

Donald, with his keen perception and quick sensitive¬ 
ness, could not fail to be at once conscious of the state of 
affairs, and to feel a good deal troubled over it. Popu¬ 
larity was as precious to him as to any other youth. He 
desired to be liked by his fellow-students no less than by 
his instructors, and it worried him to find the feeling in 
the class thus adverse to him without his having given 
any cause for it. He told Mr. Munroe how matters stood. 

“ Now, my dear boy,” said his clear-headed friend, 
“just don’t you bother yourself about the business one 
bit. College students are only school boys half grown 
up, trying to put on the dignity of manhood before they 
have put off the foolishness of boyhood. Your classmates 
are acting in that way in order to impress you with a due 
sense of your privilege in being admitted to their august 
society. It amuses them. Do not let it hurt you. As¬ 
sume a sweet unconsciousness of it. Let it affect you no 
more than the air about you. Do not make any special 
advances toward them, but be quick to respond to any 
they make to you; and as sure as your name’s Donald, 
you will, before long, find the best of them at all events 
as friendly as you could wish.” 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


159 


Donald recognized the force of this sound advice, and 
proceeded to act upon it. He had great faith in Mr. 
Munroe’s counsel, and felt it to be a piece of peculiar 
good fortune that he had such a counsellor at hand ; for 
where everything was so novel, and he was so anxious to 
do just the right thing in the right way and had so little 
experience of his own to guide him, the gentle, shrewd, 
kindly suggestions of his cultured friend and his ready 
answers to all questions, were of unspeakable comfort to 
the country youth seeking to make headway in the graces 
of social intercourse, as well as in the acquirement of 
intellectual riches. 

As the days went by, the accuracy of Mr. Munroe’s 
forecast revealed itself, very much to Donald’s gratifica¬ 
tion. Always bright and pleasant, yet in no way intrus¬ 
ive, his classmates could not long maintain against him 
their foolish attitude of reserve. They realized that he 
was quite too good a fellow to be excluded from their 
circle, and by the end of the first month he had estab¬ 
lished almost as sure a footing among them as if he had 
been with them from the start. 

In regard to his work, he found himself at first con¬ 
siderably handicapped by his lack of experience in taking 
notes. He had never had any practice which would 
prepare him for listening to an hour’s lecture and getting 
the gist of it into his notebook, and he often felt sorely 
dismayed because so much would be missed that seemed 
essential. He was not a particularly rapid penman, and 
this fact would have told materially to his disadvantage 


160 DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

but for the faculty of rapid condensation which he pos¬ 
sessed in a marked degree. This enabled him to jot down 
the leading points in their proper connection, although 
much of the language in which they were stated might 
be let slip. 

He was very happy in his new sphere. For the first 
time, his whole nature had found room to expand. He 
heartily entered into and enjoyed the social side of uni¬ 
versity life. There were, of course, all sorts and condi¬ 
tions of young men among the many students gathered 
together. Some were there simply because their fathers 
had sent them. They did not propose to study any 
harder than they could help, but to have as good a time 
as possible. Arthur Anderson was a fair type of this 
class. Quite content with his first success, he had no 
idea of attempting to follow it up, and would be certain 
to make a poor showing at the final examination. Others, 
again, had come because they considered a degree part 
of the necessary outfit of a gentleman. They would, 
therefore, work hard enough to make sure of passing; 
but beyond that they had no ambition. The majority of 
the students, however, belonged to neither of these two 
classes, but, like Donald himself, had made their own 
way to the university and would pay their own way 
through it. Their ambition went higher than the mere 
degree. They had in mind the prizes and honors that 
were to be won by strenuous endeavor, and their chief 
thought was study, not amusement. Among these Donald 
found his friends. They were mostly country lads like 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 161 

himself, and they had much in common besides their 
mutual interests and ambitions. 

One feature of the university that he especially enjoyed 
was the students’ debating society. This met every Fri¬ 
day evening in the classical room which, with its sloping 
tiers of seats, was well adapted for the purpose. He had 
always felt a strong impulse toward speech making, and 
at home had indulged the inclination by committing to 
memory portions of famous orations and speeches, and 
repeating them in the barn to an audience composed of 
his own brothers, who never failed to accord him a most 
appreciative hearing and unlimited applause. In this 
way, almost without knowing it, he had been acquiring 
the rudiments of the art of oratory; and he gained 
further experience of value by venturing now and then 
to prepare original speeches and deliver them in the 
same manner. 

One Saturday morning he happened to mention some¬ 
thing about this practice of his to Mr. Patterson. The 
head master at once became deeply interested. 

“ You could hardly employ your time better, Donald,” 
said he. “An easy and graceful delivery will be of 
immense value to you in manhood. Won’t you give me 
one of your speeches now? I am very eager to see how 
you can get it off.” 

After some persuasion Donald acceded, reciting not 
one of his own composition, but a fine passage from one 
of Daniel Webster’s. 

“ You did that very well indeed,” said Mr. Patterson, 
L 


162 DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

when he had finished; “ far better than I would have 
expected, seeing that you have had no training. Would 
vou mind now if I pointed out some of the mistakes you 
made?” 

“Indeed, I would not, sir,” cried Donald, earnestly. 
“ I would be only too glad to have you do it.” 

Mr. Patterson then proceeded to criticise the delivery 
of the oration, while Donald listened attentively, and 
then tried over again some portions of it, bearing in mind 
what had been said. This was the beginning of a series 
of lessons in elocution that lasted as long as the Saturday 
morning meetings, whereby Donald received an amount 
of permanent benefit, the full measure of which he did not 
realize until the time came for him to take part in the 
debating society. 

He had not taken any part in the first few meetings. 
He wanted to feel more at home, and to get the run of the 
rules of debate before he ventured to open his mouth. 
So he listened attentively to the others, and mentally criti¬ 
cised them somewhat after the way in which Mr. Patterson 
had openly criticised him. At each successive meeting 
he felt more strongly tempted to get upon his feet when 
the debate was thrown open; but he was nevertheless a 
good deal staggered when the committee of arrangement 
notified him that he had been selected to second the 
leader on the negative side in the debate on the following 
Friday evening. 

The subject was one of more than usual interest at the 
time, being stated thus: “ Resolved, That the university 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 163 

should not be open to women.” Much discussion in the 
public press and on the platform had already taken 
place. The advocates of woman’s right to higher educa¬ 
tion were gaining ground. The feeling in the university 
was, on the whole, against them. But Donald shared 
their opinions, and heartily sympathized with their 
endeavors. He could not see why his sex should mo¬ 
nopolize the benefits and privileges of university life. 
He was consequently very glad to find himself on what 
he considered the right side of the subject, and this made 
it easier for him to undertake the duty assigned him by 
the committee. 

Having done so, he proceeded at once to prepare him¬ 
self with characteristic thoroughness; for although he 
was not to lead, he resolved to take as much pains as if 
he were, and then he would be sure to have plenty to say 
in his role of seconder. He had no idea of relying upon 
the speeches of his opponents for inspiration. He would 
bring his own inspiration with him in the form of well- 
digested thought and argument. 

Mr. Munroe showed a hearty interest in the matter, 
and was very helpful in suggesting sources of informa¬ 
tion, and otherwise assisting him in preparing for the 
fray. 

“ You must be armed cap-a-pie, my boy,” said he, with 
one of his sweet half-serious smiles; “ for this is your 
first appearance, you know, and you must make as good 
an impression as possible.” 

Donald needed little urging. So much did the ap- 


164 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


proaching debate occupy his thoughts that his studies 
stood in danger of suffering somewhat; and his nerves 
were getting into a condition the reverse of placid as the 
time for the meeting drew near. In fact, he never felt 
more nervous in his life than when he entered the class¬ 
room on the eventful evening. His feelings, therefore, 
may be easily imagined when a note was handed him 
which told him that his leader had been suddenly taken 
ill and would not be able to be present, and that he would 
have to fill his place! 


CHAPTER XVI. 


THE WINNING OF THE DEBATE. 

YXTHAT on earth shall I do ? ” asked Donald, 
* » almost in a groan, as, looking the very picture 
of dismay, he passed the note announcing his leader’s 
unavoidable absence over to Mr. Munroe, who took in its 
import at a glance. 

“Do?” he replied at once. “Why, be your own 
leader, of course. You are probably far better prepared 
than Dunbar would have been, anyway.” 

“ Oh, but I can’t,” protested Donald, in sincerity. “ I 
have not spoken here yet, and I will certainly break 
down at the very start if I attempt to take Dunbar’s 
place.” 

“ You will just do nothing of the kind, young man,” 
returned Mr. Munroe, in a semi-jocular tone. “ I would be 
ashamed to own you if you did. No, no, Donald,” he con¬ 
tinued, in a more serious strain, “ here is your opportunity. 
You must not turn your back on it. Everybody knows 
that Dunbar was to lead. You can explain why you are 
in his place. Every allowance will therefore be made 
for you, and if you do well, as I am perfectly sure you 
will, all the more will be thought of it.” 

Donald sat silent for a minute, thinking very hard and 
summoning all hi3 resolution to meet the crisis. 


165 


166 


DONALD GRANT S DEVELOPMENT. 


“ Very well,” he said, quietly. “You are right, I kuow. 
You always are. I will do my best, and if I make a 
mess of it, I will at least have the satisfaction of having 
tried.” 

“ That is the way to talk, my boy,” answered Mr. 
Munroe, with a beaming smile of approval. “ Go in and 
win. You are on the right side of the question, and you 
ought to carry the society with you.” 

The room was filling up during the course of this 
conversation, until it became evident that the attendance 
would be larger than at any previous meeting. This was 
due, of course, to the special interest of the subject, and 
not to the debaters for the evening. Having once made 
up his mind to face the unexpected responsibility of 
taking the lead on his side, Donald felt better pleased at 
the prospect of a good big audience than of a small one. 
The more there were to listen, the stronger would be the 
spur to his lagging courage, and the greater the likeli¬ 
hood of his making a creditable showing. 

The debate was opened by one of the Seniors,—a large 
and rather imposing man named Fraser,—w*ho spoke 
with the ease and assurance of a practiced debater. 
His arguments were not very cogent, and his whole 
speech, when analyzed, had not much solid matter In it. 
But he delivered himself of it in a very emphatic, ora¬ 
torical fashion, that went far toward atoning for its 
deficiencies in reasoning and research; and he sat down 
at its close amid thunders of applause that showed he had 
made a decided impression upon his audience. 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 167 

With parched mouth and palpitating nerves Donald 
rose to reply to him, receiving a hearty round of applause 
in token of its being his first appearance. He felt him¬ 
self trembling in every limb; a mist filled his eyes and 
made the expectant faces before him so indistinct he 
could not identify Mr. Munroe, with whom he wished, 
from the bottom of his heart, he might at that moment 
change places. His tongue seemed as if it had gone on 
a strike, and refused to perform its office. There was a 
painful interval of breathless silence, as he stood by the 
chairman’s desk striving in vain to burst the fetters 
of stage fright that apparently bound him like some 
magic spell. 

Just at that moment the door opened and in stepped 
Professor McLeod. He quickly took the nearest seat, 
and then looked at Donald with an apologetic smile, as 
though to say: “ Forgive my intrusion. Please do not 
let me interrupt you. Go right on.” 

That kindly smile broke the spell, and Donald’s tongue 
began to work, somewhat haltingly and slowly at first, 
but moving with growing freedom as he warmed to the 
subject. The rich store of ideas he had so carefully pre¬ 
pared came more and more freely from his mind, until, 
by the end of the first five minutes, he had forgotten all 
his nervousness—forgotten everything, in fact, but the 
cause he had to plead. With a simple straightforward 
earnestness that won everybody’s heart, he poured out his 
well-ordered arguments one after the other, while the 
crowd of students-listened in a profound silence broken 


168 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


only by the rounds of applause that greeted each point 
as it was made. 

When he concluded, the room rang with hearty 
plaudits; and as he resumed his seat beside Mr. Munroe, 
the latter, pressing his hand warmly, whispered : “ Most 
excellently done, my budding Demosthenes. How glad 
you ought to be that Dunbar did not turn up! Your 
fame is made.” 

After Donald, followed Fraser’s seconder—a small, 
sharp-featured student in the Sophomore year—Skinner 
by name—who, in a thin, acid voice endeavored to make 
light of his opponent’s arguments without advancing any 
of his own. He succeeded in raising a laugh or two, 
being not without a spice of humor, but did Donald very 
little, if any, damage. 

Donald then came on again, and this time speaking 
much more quietly, confined himself to answering what 
Fraser had advanced, doing his best to meet him at every 
point. He succeeded very well in the endeavor. 

As the opener of the debate, Fraser, of course, had the 
right of closing, which he did in a speech of considerable 
power, directed entirely against what Donald had brought 
forward. 

“He is knocking me all to pieces,” whispered the 
latter to Mr. Munroe. “ I wish I could speak again.” 

“ Perhaps you will have another chance, although it is 
not the usual thing,” was the reply. 

A few minutes afterward, without attracting Donald’s 
attention, he scribbled off a short note and had it passed 


169 


DONALD GRANINS DEVELOPMENT. 

up to the chairman, who on reading it, nodded back an 
assent to the proposition it contained. Meanwhile the 
debate was thrown open and taken part in by a number 
of those present, until the chairman announced that the 
time for taking the vote had come. Before doing this, 
however, he wished to ask the society if the leader for the 
negative might not be permitted to speak again, in view 
of the circumstances under which he had taken part in 
the debate. A unanimous chorus of approval greeted 
the suggestion, whereupon, turning to Donald, the chair¬ 
man invited him to once more take the floor. 

A little surprised, but not at all reluctant, for he was 
full of fight—as the saying is—and intensely anxious to 
win the verdict, Donald accepted the invitation promptly. 
He w T as allowed ten minutes, and he made the most of 
his time, reviewing the arguments that had been adduced 
against his side and marshalling anew those in favor of 
it. So full of his subject was he that the chairman had 
to tell him when his time was up. 

Immediately afterward the vote was taken by show of 
hands, and Donald’s heart stood still as he awaited the 
result of the counting. There were seventy-five persons 
present eligible to vote, and of these thirty-five voted for 
the affirmative and forty for the negative. Donald had 
w r on, and his triumph was all the greater from the fact 
that he had had to encounter and overcome the prejudice 
already prevailing against the admission of women to the 
privileges of study in the university. 

When the meeting was over, congratulations poured 


170 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


in upon him from all sides ; but none gave him so much 
pleasure as the warm pressure of Professor McLeod’s 
hand, and the deep, strong voice saying: “Well done, 
Donald Grant. This is a great triumph for Rivervale. 
What a pity the good people could not have been here 
to share in it! ” 

He had already seen a good deal of the professor, 
although he did not yet attend his lectures. He quite 
often went up to his room in the university to ask his 
advice perhaps, or to tell him something of interest; and 
he had no reason to doubt that in the brilliant young 
professor he had another friend upon whom he could 
depend for wise counsel and willing help, whenever he 
might require them. A fortunate youth indeed was he 
in the friends he made. They stood ready to meet and 
encourage and direct him in his ambition, to sympathize 
with and assist all his upreackings, to aid him in the 
development of what was best in his nature. Until he 
came to Chebucto this development had been almost 
altogether on the intellectual side of his being. His 
thought and concern had been concentrated upon his 
studies, upon his preparation for the university, where he 
hoped to make his mark; and in Mr. Patterson he had 
enjoyed a rare ally and instructor. 

At Chebucto he found in Mr. Munroe, Professor 
McLeod, and Professor Madell all that could be desired 
for the carrying on of the good work so well begun by 
Mr. Patterson; and it might seem as though there could 
be nothing lacking toward the right. maturing, of his 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


171 


mind and character. But was that really so? Assuming 
that every circumstance was in favor of a worthy mental 
development, would that be all ? Was there nothing left 
out of account in such an estimate of opportunities and 
privileges? This was a question which had never so much 
as stirred in Donald’s brain until it was asked of him by 
the Rev. John Sterling. It had come about in this way: 

On the morning of his first Sunday in Chebucto, he 
asked Mr. Munroe, as they sat at breakfast, who was 
considered the best preacher in the Baptist churches of 
the city. 

“ I am afraid that is a subject upon which I can give 
you very little light,” answered Mr. Munroe, with a smile 
of genial indifference; “for the fact is I rarely go to 
church, and when I do it is to the Cathedral. They are 
always sure to have some good music there, and some¬ 
times quite tolerable preaching.” 

Donald’s eyes opened a good deal at this reply. He 
had been brought up to regard regular churchgoing as 
one of the chief duties of life, and it shocked him to hear 
his host treating it in such an irreverent fashion. 

Mr. Munroe noticed his confusion and hastened to his 
relief. 

“ Oh, please don’t look at me like that, Donald,” he 
cried, laughingly. “ I never did lay claim to much piety, 
you know, and you must not mind me one bit. Just feel 
free to go to church three times every Sunday if you like. 
By the way,” he added, “ last night’s paper ought to give 
us. some information ; let us look at it.” 


172 


DONALD GRANTS DEVELOPMENT. 


The paper was examined, and on one page was found 
a column full of announcements of the Sunday services, 
arranged in groups according to the different denomina¬ 
tions. 

“ Here you are,” said Mr. Munroe. “Just study this 
batch, and pick out the one that seems the most promis¬ 
ing. I will go with you for once, seeing that you are 
such a stranger and my guest into the bargain.” 

Donald looked over the list, and was attracted at once 
by the name of the “ Calvary Baptist Church ” and that 
of its pastor, the Rev. John Sterling. 

“ I think I would like to go there,” he said, pointing 
out the address to Mr. Munroe. “ Do you know where 
it is?” 

“ Calvary Church ? ” replied Mr. Munroe. “ Let me 
see. Why, of course I do. It is not more than ten 
minutes’ walk from here, straight up the next street. 
Very well, that is where we will go.” 

They took care to be a little early, and were shown to 
good seats by a courteous usher. They had time to look 
about them as the church filled up. It was a large build¬ 
ing, with the pews arranged in sloping tiers and capable 
of seating more than a thousand people. The whole ap¬ 
pearance was of warmth, color and comfort; and to 
Donald, who had never worshiped elsewhere than in the 
bare, bleak, old-fashioned meeting house at Beechmount, 
the delightful coziness of this modern church was a per¬ 
fect revelation. He gazed around with wide-open eyes 
of admiration at the tastefully frescoed walls, the great 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 173 

windows of beautiful stained glass, the handsome pulpit, 
and then up to the ceiling of natural wood, grained and 
carved in fantastic fashion. It was all grateful to his 
aesthetic sense, and he had about made up his mind to 
choose Calvary for his church while in Chebucto when 
the pastor took his place in the pulpit. 

With a throb of joy not hard to account for in one 
whose only previous experience had been of dry old Dr. 
Sternhold, Donald noted that he was a young man and 
had a bright, kind, sympathetic face, whose pleasant 
augury was strengthened by the rich, smooth voice in 
which he gave out the opening hymn. From that 
moment Donald had no eyes for either church or con¬ 
gregation, his whole attention being fixed upon the 
preacher. The sermon proved as great a revelation as 
the edifice in which it was delivered. Simple and yet 
solid; earnest without being sensational, and eloquent 
without being overwrought; logically evolved from the 
text, not appended to it so loosely that there was no 
making out the connecting link ; brightened and pointed 
here and there by touches of a genuine mother wit which 
seemed to flash out half unconsciously, and in an unpre¬ 
meditated way that immensely heightened its effect— 
such was the kind of discourse that Donald listened to on 
that Sunday morning; and when the preacher finished 
his mind was fully made up—Calvary should be his 
church and Mr. Sterling his pastor while he was in 
Chebucto. 

As he and Mr. Munroe passed through the vestibule, 


174 


DONALD GRANINS DEVELOPMENT. 


a young man stepped up to them with extended 
hand. 

“We are very glad to see you in our church,” he said, 
with a pleasant smile, “ and will always be happy to show 
you a seat.” 

They shook hands with him and thanked him for his 
courtesy, Mr. Munroe adding in his own graceful way, for 
the attention had touched a responsive chord : 

“ You have a beautiful church and a grand preacher. 
I am glad you are willing to share your privileges so 
freely.” 

“ Oh, yes, we are only too glad to do that,” the young 
man smiled back, well pleased at the appreciation shown 
by the strangers. 

“ I won’t need to look any farther for a church,” said 
Donald, emphatically, a3 they walked homeward. “It 
seemed like a little bit of heaven in there this morning. 
What a noble face Mr. Sterling has and how every word 
he says seems to come right from his heart! Don’t you 
think so, Mr. Munroe ? ” 

Mr. Munroe gave a sort of sigh, as though he envied 
his companion his warm enthusiasm. 

“ I do think so, Donald. He is evidently very much 
in earnest, and certainly has a wholly sincere and sensi¬ 
ble way of preaching. It would be a good thing for the 
church if there were more of his sort in the pulpits.” 

Full quarter of an hour before the time for the evening 
service, Donald presented himself at the church door, so 
eager was he to secure a seat, and was met by the young 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


175 


man who had addressed him in the morning and who 
now introduced himself as Mr. Bell, asking Donald’s 
name in return. Before showing him to a pew he told 
him there was a meeting held in the hall at the close of 
the services, and invited him to remain for it, which 
Donald promised to do. 

Mr. Sterling’s text that evening was from Timothy: 
“ That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly 
furnished unto all good works; ” and he preached an 
exceedingly powerful sermon upon the practical side of 
true religion, emphasizing the value of good works when 
done in the right spirit. It stirred Donald to the very 
depths. Carefully trained as he had been from the cradle 
to prefer the things that were honest, pure, and of good 
report, to their opposites, however tempting, and naturally 
endowed with a sturdy, self-respecting nature that made 
it easier for him to say “ no ” to Satan, in whatever guise, 
than it might be for some others, he had grown up under 
the lifeless preaching of Dr. Sternhold with very vague 
ideas as to the duty of a Christian. To resist evil, to 
attend regularly upon the religious services, to read 
one’s Bible and say one’s prayers night and morning— 
these about made up the sum of God’s requirements. 
Having decently fulfilled them, one might consider his 
title clear to an eternal mansion. 

But upon this comfortable conception of religion Mr. 
Sterling’s sermon broke like a thunder clap upon the 
stillness of a midsummer day. In such a scheme in life, 
where did the “ good works ” unto which the man of God 


176 


DONALD GKANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


should be “ thoroughly furnished ” come in ? Donald had 
never been led to ask himself the question before. 

“ What am I doing for my Lord ? ” How the very 
air seemed to be ringing with it! Profoundly moved, he 
sat in his place until the bulk of the congregation had 
gone out, and then followed the few who went into the 
hall for the after meeting. 


CHAPTER XVII. 


INTO A LARGER LIFE. 



,NLY a small proportion of the congregation which 


Vy had crowded the church remained for the after¬ 
service. There were perhaps two hundred people in all 
in the bright, cheery, Sunday-school hall, and as Donald 
looked around, he was glad to note that the majority of 
these were comparatively young. Presently Mr. Bell 
came in, and catching sight of him took a seat beside him. 

“ A grand sermon, wasn’t it ? ” he whispered. “ Mr. 
Sterling always gives us lots to think about.” 

“ He has just given me a great deal to think about,” 
Donald whispered back. 

Mr. Bell looked as if he would have liked to hear 
more, but just then Mr. Sterling gave out a hymn, and 
the service commenced. 

It was a short and very simple service. After the 
hymn Mr. Sterling called upon one of the young men to 
lead in prayer. Then he spoke a few words himself, 
following the same line of thought that had been ex¬ 
pressed in his sermon. A little while was then given to 
volunteer speaking, and a number took part, among them 
Mr. Bell, who spoke in a modest yet manly way of the 
joy of service. 

“ The joy of service ! ” thought Donald. “ That is 


M 


177 


178 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


something that I have never known; and how full of it 
Mr. Bell seems to be! No wonder, though. Just see 
how he worked for God, looking after strangers aud 
making them feel at home ! Oh, how I envy him! ” 

Another hymn followed the speaking, after which Mr. 
Sterling, having in a few sentences gathered together the 
choicest thoughts that had been just uttered, went on to 
make a loving appeal to those present who had not yet 
taken any part in the Lord’s work, to signify their inten¬ 
tion of so doing by standing up for a moment. As he 
said this, it seemed to Donald that he was looking straight 
at him; and so magnetic was the man, that the impulse 
to stand up simply to gratify him was almost irresistible. 
His heart throbbed as though it would fain burst its 
bonds. He felt his face alternately flushing and then 
growing white. His knees trembled as with palsy, and 
it was only by dint of a tremendous effort that he could 
prevent himself from either rising to his feet in response 
to the minister’s appeal, or seizing his hat and bolting 
out the door. 

The time seemed very long while Mr. Sterling stood 
waiting, and there were several who made known their 
resolution to become workers in the vineyard of the Lord; 
but Donald managed to keep control of himself, although 
Mr. Bell could not help getting some idea of the struggle 
going on within him. 

The moment the benediction was pronounced he 
hurried away, thus frustrating his new friend’s kindly 
intention of introducing him to the pastor, who was 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 179 

always eager to make tlie acquaintance of strangers in 
order to give them a hearty welcome to his church and 
to his home also. 

But Donald felt that he could not wait. He must get 
into the open air. His brain was in a whirl of thoughts 
the like of which had never disturbed it before. From a 
spiritual point of view, his life hitherto had been a par¬ 
ticularly placid one. Thanks to sound parental training 
and an innate preference for the good, he had contrived 
to keep a conscience commendablv void of offense toward 
man, at all events, and with this he had been content. 
The question as to whether it had been in like manner 
void of offense toward God had never disturbed his 
serenity. Now, however, it faced him like an adversary 
in the way, and demanded an answer. 

He did not go straight home. The night was fine and 
clear, and he paced the street between the church and 
Mr. Munroe’s no less than six times, pondering deeply all 
the while, before he felt sufficiently composed to go in. 
He found his friend reclining in an arm chair before the 
fire, and solacing himself with a cigar as a preliminary 
to retiring for the night. 

“ Oh, there you are at last! ” he exclaimed, as Donald 
entered the room. “ I was wondering what had become 
of you, and whether it was not my duty to notify the 
police in case of your being lost, strayed or stolen. What 
mischief have you been up to? Come, out with it. I am 
in a certain sense responsible for your good behavior, 
you know, while you are under my roof.” 


180 


DONALD GRANTS DEVELOPMENT. 


Although Mr. Munroe’s bantering grated upon him 
somewhat unpleasantly in his wrought-up state of mind, 
Donald tried hard to seem at his ease and to answer in 
the same spirit. 

“ I have not been up to any mischief at all,” he said, 
“ unless you would call staying to an after-meeting at the 
church mischief. Then, as the night was so fine, I have 
been stretching my legs a little before going to bed.” 

Mr. Munroe regarded him curiously as he spoke. His 
quick perception told him that Donald was doing his 
best to hide deep feeling under a show of unconcern. 
But he was too refined in his own feelings to attempt to 
intrude upon another’s; so, throwing the remnant of 
his cigar into the fire, he rose from his chair with a well- 
simulated yawn, saying: “Well it is bedtime, I sup¬ 
pose, and no doubt you are quite ready to tumble in. Let 
us adjourn.” 

Donald was very glad to reach the seclusion of his own 
room. He had never in his life before felt such a long¬ 
ing to be alone as now. Throwing himself into a chair, 
he resumed the discussion within his own mind which 
had been begun in the street and interrupted by the 
brief conversation with Mr. Munroe. His mind was like 
a house divided against itself; and, as in the debate 
before the society, there was an affirmative and negative 
side, so now he found himself, just as though he were two 
distinct individualities, debating the question Mr. Ster¬ 
ling’s sermon had aroused. 

The point at issue was not difficult to state. He saw 


181 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

it with perfect distinctness. From the point of view of 
the evening’s discourse, his life had hitherto been little 
better than a blank. His religion had been purely 
theoretical, so to speak, and now the call had come to 
elevate it into a practical religion—to aim henceforth 
not at a mere routine observance of religious duties, but 
at being thoughtfully furnished unto all good works. 

And why did he hesitate to obey the call ? Why did 
he find himself disturbed to his heart’s depths by it, and 
conscious of an opposition within that strove mightily 
to make answer as Felix did to Paul, “ Go thy way for 
this time; when I have a convenient season I will call 
for thee.” 

The answer was simple enough. He did not attempt to 
argue against the rightfulness of the divine demand. He 
felt perfectly willing to confess that he had left undone 
a thousand and one things that he ought to have done, 
and that he had no claim to be considered other than an 
unprofitable servant. But it seemed to him that this was 
a most inconvenient season to begin to remedy the mat¬ 
ter. Here he was right in the midst of the life he had 
so long and eagerly looked forward to and striven so 
hard to enter. He had achieved at the start a success 
that surpassed his brightest expectations, and the future 
could hardly have been more promising than it seemed. 
To rightly avail himself of the opportunities for intel¬ 
lectual and social culture now within his reach, would 
absorb all his time and energy. How, then, could he 
find room in the plan of his life for the new duties that 


182 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


a response to Mr. Sterling’s appeal would involve ? For 
it was not his way to do anything by halves. The in¬ 
junction, “ Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with 
thy might,” needed not to be impressed upon him. He 
clearly realized that if he responded to the summons in 
the same spirit as that in which it had been made, such 
a step would necessarily mean a consecration of time and 
thought and energy to the advancement of God’s cause, 
that he was now devoting to the advancement of himself. 

He came to no conclusion that night, nor for many 
nights afterward, although the question persistently 
obtruded itself upon his mind and refused to be put aside. 
He continued to attend the services at Calvary Church, 
but avoided the after-meeting, although Mr. Bell more 
than once pressed him to remain for it. He also managed 
to evade being brought into personal contact with Mr. 
Sterling, dreading lest the minister should seize the 
opportunity to urge an immediate decision upon him. 
He keenly felt the need of a friend to whom he might go 
for sympathy and counsel. Much as he loved and re¬ 
spected Mr. Munroe, Prof. McLeod, and Prof. Madill, he 
clearly understood that they could be of no assistance to 
him in a matter of purely spiritual concern, however 
helpful in the intellectual sphere. He could even pre¬ 
dict what their advice would be, namely, to stick to his 
studies for the present and leave other interests alone, at 
least until he had passed through the university ; and he 
was too honest with himself to attempt to silence the 
inward voice by securing a toreseen verdict against it. 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


183 


In fact, he frankly admitted to himself that there was 
but one counsellor to whom he ought to go, and then 
with a full determination to abide by his answer what¬ 
ever it might be—that one was Mr. Sterling; and, 
strangely enough, he could anticipate what his reply 
■would be, although he had not the same objection to 
seeking it that he had in the case of Mr. Munroe and the 
others. On the contrary, he shrank from going to Mr. 
Sterling with the matter that troubled his mind, because 
he thought that in so doing he would practically commit 
himself. It would be a touching of the plow handles, at 
the very least, that could be followed up with credit only 
by taking a firm grip with the resolution not to look 
back again, but to cut a furrow as straight and deep and 
long as God might give him grace and strength to ac¬ 
complish. 

Of course, this mental conflict could not go on without 
some outward manifestations, which at first gave Mr. 
Munroe some concern. Donald’s face took on such a 
troubled expression that he felt sure there must be some¬ 
thing amiss either in his state of health or otherwise, the 
nature of which he was anxious to learn. He accordingly 
pressed him with inquiries, but could gain very little light. 
Donald did not want to lay the whole matter before him, 
and yet he did not see how, without doing so, he could 
explain it at all. So he kept his own counsel, although 
feeling all the while that his kind and generous friend 
might, with good reason, feel hurt at his inexplicable 


reserve. 


184 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT, 


Mr. Munroe did entertain such a feeling at first. 
Happily, that subtle instinct which enabled him at times 
almost to read another’s mind came to his aid. He 
divined the true cause of his protege’s quietude, and 
respecting his right to maintain silence upon so sacred a 
matter, let sympathy take the place of pique and set 
himself to be as serene and cheery a companion as 
possible. 

Donald noted the change with inexpressible gratitude, 
and all the deeper became his wonder that one in whose 
nature there was so much of the angelic should hold such 
lax views on religious matters and keep himself aloof, as 
far as possible, from all holy influences. 

The weeks went by, and still Donald halted between 
two opinions. His studies became more and more en¬ 
grossing, and he found the debating society increasingly 
interesting, while through Mr. Munroe he had opportuni¬ 
ties of social relaxation that he keenly enjoyed. Hot 
a week passed without his being invited to some pleasant 
gathering, and although he found that his entire ignor¬ 
ance of the art of dancing and of the mysteries of cards 
placed him sometimes at a disadvantage, he never failed 
to obtain sufficient entertainment without breaking the 
rule he had laid down for himself, of never taking part 
in either of these fascinating but perilous amusements. 

Of course, all these influences helped to dull the edge 
of his anxiety concerning a right spiritual relation ; and 
as the end of the year approached he had grown some¬ 
what callous, although the voice within still spoke at 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


185 


times. In the midst of his unrest he had written fully 
about it to his father, and had received in reply a long 
and loving letter that voiced the mind of both parents, 
and the sense of which was that, so far away from him and 
so ignorant of the new life upon which he had entered, 
they felt they were hardly able to advise as to just what 
he ought to do; and therefore they besought him to go to 
Mr. Sterling and open his mind and heart to him. When 
Donald had read the letter, he laid it down, saying 
tenderly: 

“ They are right. Mr. Sterling is the only one who 
can give me the counsel I need; I will go to him.” 

But he did not do so at once, and postponement fol¬ 
lowed postponement until the year neared its close. He 
would have liked to go home for the Christmas holidays, 
but the expense made it impracticable ; and he remained 
at Mr. Munroe’s utilizing the time in reviewing the work 
already done and anticipating some of that which was to 
come. 

On New Year’s Eve a special watch night service was 
held in Calvary Church. It began at ten o’clock and 
continued until a few minutes after midnight. With a 
certain feeling of curiosity, Donald took his accustomed 
seat. He had never attended such a service before, and 
wondered of what nature it would be. 

The church was filled with a congregation of men and 
women who evidently felt that the lateness of the hour 
and the fact of its being the very end of another year 
imparted a peculiar solemnity to the service. No one 


186 


DONALD GRANT'S DEVELOPMENT. 


was more affected by the influence of the latter thought 
than Donald. The year just about to close had been the 
most eventful of his life in many ways. It had witnessed 
the attainment of his long-cherished ambition ; the win¬ 
ning of welcome and worthy triumphs; the gaining of 
friends whose very companionship had an educational 
value; the enjoyment of pleasant experiences hitherto 
only dreamed of. What a year of blessings it had been! 
With an overflowing heart might he exclaim, “ Thou 
crownest the year with thy goodness.” 

In singing, and prayer, and address, the services pro¬ 
ceeded as the hand of the clock in the curve of the gallery 
moved steadily toward midnight. There were not many 
minutes of the old year left when Mr. Sterling, leaning 
far over the edge of the pulpit as though he desired to 
get as near to his hearers as possible, put his whole heart 
into an almost passionate appeal to them not to let the 
year slip into eternity without dedicating themselves to 
God in the fullest manner. 

“ Oh, dear friends,” he cried, his eyes glowing with 
Christlike love and his voice tremulous with intensity of 
earnestness, “ bear with me while I press upon you the 
question: ‘ How much owest thou unto my Lord ? ’ and 
beseech you in my Master’s name to answer it, not to me, 
but to your own souls. We will spend the last moments 
of the year in silent prayer, and may God help us to 
place ourselves unreservedly in his hands for time and 
for eternity! ” 

In the space of solemn silence which followed while 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


187 


the whole congregation went to their knees, it seemed to 
Donald as though he lived a lifetime. The startling, 
searching question put by the preacher illuminated his 
heart as a flash of lightning reveals the landscape at 
midnight; and he recoiled in keen remorse from what he 
said. As the innumerable blessings which had brightened 
his life crowded in upon his mind, the very voice of Jesus 
seemed to say in tones of patient, loving reproach: 
“All this I did for thee. What hast thou done for 
me ? ” 

The people were not many minutes on their knees, but 
ere they rose again Donald’s decision was made. The 
battle was fought and won, and he stood ready to say: 
“Here am I, Lord, what wilt thou have me do?” A 
strange sense of relief, of elation, thrilled him with new 
joy. He thought of Pilgrim when the grievous burden 
rolled off his weary back, and said to himself: “ I am 
sure I feel as he did then. What a foolish creature I 
have been to bear my burden all this while, when I might 
have been freed from it long ago.” 

Together with the delightful sense of freedom came a 
desire to make the matter known. It seemed too joyous 
a thing to hide. Therefore, when Mr. Sterling, just be¬ 
fore closing the service, asked if there were not some 
present who had resolved upon entering into a closer 
relation with God, and if so he would urge them to make 
their resolution public, for they would thus help others 
and help themselves too, Donald without hesitation at 
once rose to his feet. 


188 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


A beautiful smile of gladness irradiated Mr. Sterling’s 
face as their eyes met. 

“ God bless you, my young brother,” said he. “ You 
have begun the new year gloriously. The Master hath 
need of such as you to carry on his work.” 

Others followed Donald's example, and for each the 
minister had a word in season. Then he asked them all 
to remain for a few minutes after service was over. 

Donald, of course, remained, and when Mr. Sterling 
grasped him warmly by the hand and looked lovingly into 
his eyes, his whole heart went out to him, and he felt 
willing to do anything he might ask. 

“ I have often seen you in my congregation,” said the 
minister, “ and have been anxious to make your acquaint¬ 
ance. I am so glad that it has begun in this way. I am 
sure we shall grow to be great friends, and you will be 
one of my willing helpers in doing our Master’s work, 
will you not ? ” 

“I will, indeed, so far as I can,” answered Donald, 
earnestly. “ I have been very unhappy just because I 
would not answer the call to work. 1 wanted all my 
time to myself. But I see things very differently now, 
and, God helping me, I am going to try to be of some 
use after this.” 


CHAPTER XVIII. 


A NEW SPHERE OF ACTIVITY. 

D ONALD’S determination to take some part in relig¬ 
ious work was no mere passing impulse. He meant 
what he said from the bottom of his heart, although, of 
course, not having had any previous experience of the 
kind his ideas were naturally somewhat vague as to what 
might be expected of him and what he might prove to be 
qualified to undertake. This, however, gave him no 
concern. Having once decided to respond to God’s 
claims upon his energies, he was not at all exercised in 
mind as to the particular task that might be assigned him 
in the vineyard of the Lord. That was a matter upon 
which he would have to look to Mr. Sterling for direction. 

Mr. Sterling did not keep him long in uncertainty. 
The day after New Year’s, Donald received a note from 
him inviting him to take tea with him the following 
evening. At the parsonage, on his arrival, he found Mr. 
Bell and two other young men of about his own age, 
both of whom had taken the decisive step with him at the 
watch-night service. Although a little constrained at 
first through strangeness, the irresistible geniality of 
their host and the charming tact of his lovely wife soon 
broke down all barriers of reserve and the three young 
men felt themselves to be thoroughly at home. Sharers 

189 


190 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


as they were in the common gladness of liberation from 
the bondage of sin, their hearts warmed toward each other, 
and Donald was glad to have two such friends added to 
his widening circle. 

One, by name Fred Heath, was a clerk in a large 
business establishment. He had a bright, shrewd, attrac¬ 
tive face, and a general air of being all alive, so to speak, 
that promised well for any enterprise he should give his 
heart to. The other, William Randall, was a law student, 
and presented quite a contrast to his companion, being 
tall and slight, with an almost colorless face and dark 
blue eyes, which were apt to be set in an earnest gaze as 
though he were looking you through and through while 
you spoke with him. He would evidently move more 
cautiously and deliberately than Heath, but he was of 
the kind that, once committed to a trust, would die before 
deserting it. 

After a delicious tea that spoke volumes for Mrs. 
Sterling’s domestic management, and was heartily enjoyed 
by all, Mr. Sterling revealed his purpose in calling them 
together. He thought that the time had come for carry¬ 
ing out a scheme upon which his heart had long been 
set. The Society of Christian Endeavor, the Epworth 
League, and other such organizations for utilizing the 
services of the young people in the work of the church 
were unknown then, but here and there at different 
churches, societies existed that in many ways were 
anticipations of these movements which have, in these 
late years, grown to such magnitude and beneficence. 



Donald Grant 


Page 190 

























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 191 

Such a society Mr. Sterling had determined upon estab¬ 
lishing in his church, and he had invited his right-hand 
man, Mr. Bell, who was ever ready to co-operate in good 
works, and the three young recruits of the Christian 
army, whom he knew to be eager to be set to work, in 
order that they might talk the matter over and form the 
nucleus of the new society. 

They all were at once favorably impressed by Mr. 
Sterling’s scheme. A young men’s society of some kind 
seemed most attractive to them, and the minister was 
delighted with the cordial manner in which they entered 
into the discussion of ways and means. Of course, only 
the merest outline of a plan could be determined upon. 
None of the party, not even Mr. Sterling, had had any 
previous experience in such an organization; and so they 
had nothing to assist them but their own good sense and 
inventive talent. 

In the course of the discussion their varied characters 
were plainly manifested. Mr. Sterling, of course, took 
the lead, and had the most to say. But Mr. Heath’s 
tongue wagged busily as his quick brain evolved 
suggestion after suggestion, and Mr. Bell was always 
ready with a comment or criticism which his experience 
in religious work well qualified him to make. Donald, 
for once, kept well in the background. It was all so new 
to him that he preferred to listen and learn. Mr. Ran¬ 
dall seemed of the same mind, and he also listened more 
than talked. Yet every now and then he would make an 
observation so sound and sensible as to win the prompt 


192 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


assent of the others, and proved that he was going to be a 
helper of no ordinary value. 

The result of the deliberations was the outlining of a 
scheme for a Young Men’s Institute, which the men of 
the church would be called together to consider at the 
first opportunity; and then Mr. Sterling’s guests took 
their departure, leaving the minister in a rarely happy 
and hopeful frame of mind. 

“ Helen, my dear,” said he to his wife after they had 
gone, “ this night is the beginning of a new era in Calvary 
Church. The young men have never taken the place 
they should have taken in the work of the church, and 
we ministers have been principally to blame for it. We 
have not sought their co-operation as it was our duty, 
indeed our privilege, to do. They have been allowed to 
think that they would be of no account until their heads 
were bald or grey; until, in fact, the very best of their 
lives had been spent. But, thank God! our eyes are 
being opened. The day of the young people is dawning, 
and mark my words, Helen, though I claim not to be the 
prophet nor the son of the prophet, I venture to predict 
that within the next quarter of a century the enlistment 
and employment of the energies of the young people, the 
young women as well as the young men, in the work of 
Christ’s church, will be the most significant and inspiring 
feature in the religious history of the world.” 

“ I believe it with all my heart,” responded Mrs. Ster¬ 
ling, her beautiful face lighting up with the same glad 
enthusiasm that made her husband radiant. “ Is it not 


DONALD GRANTS DEVELOPMENT. 193 

glorious to think what may be done with such helpers as 
the dear young men who were here to-night? How glad 
I am that you have found them out, and received their 
sympathy and support. Your Young Men’s Institute is 
half established already.” 

Mr. Sterling smiled at his wife’s sanguine view of the 
situation. 

“ I only wish,” said he, “ that we might make it a Young 
Women’s as well as a Young Men’s Institute at the out¬ 
set. But it is a matter in which we must hasten slowly. 
We have everything to learn, and the more simple our 
start the easier it will be to make; and then we can en¬ 
large our scope when the success of our scheme warrants 
our so doing.” 

Mr. Sterling did not let the grass grow under his feet. 
Arrangements for the public meeting at which the new 
departure could be inaugurated were pressed forward 
vigorously, and Donald was a good deal disconcerted by 
being asked to take part in the proceedings. He wanted 
very much to be excused. Having never had any ex¬ 
perience in religious work, he did not think it possible 
for him to comply with his pastor’s request and make a 
speech at the meeting. It would be a hundred times 
harder than speaking in the debate, and could result only 
in a miserable failure that would be injurious to the cause 
he was to advocate. 

But Mr. Sterling would not be gainsaid. 

“ Ho, no, my young brother,” was his answer, smiling, 

yet firm. “ I thoroughly sympathize with you in your 

N 


194 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


forebodings of failure. Every bit of that experience was 
my own not so many years ago. But you will not break 
down. Not a bit of it. A set speech will not be ex¬ 
pected of you, nor would it be expedient for you to make 
one. You have a message for the young men like your¬ 
self. It came to you at the watch-night service. Surely 
you will not refuse to deliver it! ” 

And so unable to resist such urging, Donald consented, 
it being understood that Mr. Bell, Mr. Heath, and Mr. 
Randall would also speak and thus divide the burden 
with him. 

The following Sunday, Mr. Sterling gave out an 
announcement to the effect that the men of the congrega¬ 
tion, and particularly the young men, were earnestly 
requested to attend a meeting to be held in the Sunday- 
school hall on Tuesday evening, for an object that would 
be then explained. He purposely refrained from making 
known the object of the meeting, in order to arouse 
curiosity and thereby insure a large attendance. 

The result justified his expectations. By eight o’clock 
on Tuesday evening there were no less than two hundred 
men gathered in the hall, eager to learn the reason of 
their being called together. In age they ranged from 
seventy to seventeen, and they fairly represented all the 
classes in the congregation. 

As Donald looked around from his seat near the front, 
he could not find a single familiar face save a few that 
he had come to know from seeing them in the church on 
Sunday. 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


195 


“ What is the use of my attempting to speak ? ” he 
asked himself. “ How much will these men care for what 
I, a perfect stranger to them, may say ? ” 

Promptly at eight, Mr. Sterling opened the meeting 
with a stirring hymn which helped everybody to feel 
more at home, and followed it up with an earnest prayer 
for a special divine blessing upon what was to be done in 
the name of the Lord. Then, after another hymn, that 
most appropriate one for such an occasion—“Work, for 
the night is coming ”—he proceeded to answer the look 
of inquiry that was upon every face by revealing his pur¬ 
pose in calling the meeting. He spoke briefly in order 
to leave as much time as possible for the young men who 
were to follow, and contented himself with outlining the 
scheme for a Young Men’s Institute that had been framed 
in his own parlor. 

He was listened to with the closest attention by all, 
and if any reliance could be placed upon appearances, 
there was no doubt but that the new idea would receive at 
least a very careful consideration on the part of those 
present. Having done this much, he called upon Mr. 
Bell to point out how such an organization could be help¬ 
ful in the church work. 

Mr. Bell was well prepared and made an excellent 
presentation of his case, indicating a number of ways in 
which an association of young men for religious work 
could accomplish good, and emphasizing the fact that in 
thus blessing others they would themselves of a certainty 
be blessed. 


196 


DONALD GRANTS DEVELOPMENT. 


Then Mr. Sterling called upon Donald, and the young 
student stepped up to the platform. He was in an 
intensely nervous state. All the surroundings were so 
novel and his own position most novel of all. For the 
debating society he had had some previous training that 
stood him in good stead when once his tongue became 
unloosed; but for taking part in a religious meeting he 
had not had the slightest preparation. The rows of 
strange faces seemed to resolve themselves into a kind of 
hydra-headed creature, staring at him with cold, curious 
eyes of inquiry as to his right to address it. The pers¬ 
piration gathered thickly upon his forehead and hands. 
Would the words never come? 

Yes, they would and did. By a heroic effort he 
mastered himself just as the silence was growing oppres¬ 
sive and began his address, speaking slowly and with 
manifest effort at first, but increasing in fluency and force 
as he found the hydra resolving itself back into its con¬ 
stituent countenances, and realized that they were listen¬ 
ing to him with sympathetic interest. 

His subject was the need of a definite work for young 
men who had entered into the Lord’s service, and he 
made his own experience a basis for his remarks, relating 
very frankly and simply what has been already told in 
the course of this story. 

“ And now,” he concluded, “ I have tried to make it 
clear to you why I believe that every young man who 
has given his heart to God should at once seek to become 
a laborer in his vineyard. We can all do something, 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 197 

somewhere, sometime, and this Institute which Mr. Ster¬ 
ling asks us to join with him in establishing is just what 
we want to help us in making the best use of the powers 
God has given us. If we go into it with all our hearts, 
and determined to work together for its success, it can¬ 
not fail to be a success; and as sure as it is, we will all 
share in its benefits, while we will be, under divine 
direction, a means of benefit to many others.” 

He spoke but ten minutes altogether, and was heard 
with almost breathless attention. His sincere, straight¬ 
forward manner, absolutely free from self-conscious con¬ 
ceit, won the hearts of his listeners; and the very fact of 
his being a stranger caused what he said to make a 
deeper impression, thus proving a help instead of a hind¬ 
rance, as he had feared. When he sat down he had won 
many admirers, some of whom were to prove welcome 
additions to his circle of friends in the early future. 

After the singing of “ Blest be the tie that binds,” both 
Mr. Heath and Mr. Randall made short but effective 
speeches; the former aiming to show the part that busi¬ 
ness men could take in the proposed Institute, and the 
latter, the opportunity there would be for professional 
men to make themselves useful. 

Then the meeting was thrown open to all and the 
speaking became general. It was at once evident that 
the new idea had found favor with the audience. One 
after another arose to commend it heartily, and to prom¬ 
ise their cordial co-operation. Some of the graybeards, 
to be sure, thought it necessary to throw out words of 


198 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


warning as to the danger of going too fast, and the im¬ 
portance of having everything done decently and in 
order. They had some misgivings as to what might be 
the consequences of a sudden infusion of young blood into 
the church. But they had no thought of standing in the 
way of the movement. It certainly contained promise 
of good, and seemed well worth a careful experiment. 

So without more ado, the meeting proceeded, under 
Mr. Sterling's judicious guidance, to organize the Young 
Men’s Institute of Calvary Church. Committees were 
appointed to draw up a constitution, to prepare a list of 
officers, and to make other preparations for a meeting to 
be held on the same evening of the following week, when 
the organization could be completed. After this had 
been done, Mr. Sterling said a few words expressive of 
his delight at the warm reception his scheme had been 
given, and with the singing of the doxology the meeting 
came to a close. 

Donald went back to Mr. Munroe’s so full of the new 
enterprise in which he had engaged, that he could not 
refrain from telling his friend all about it. 

He was, of course, a good deal elated at having gotten 
on so well with his speech, and this, added to his own 
deep interest in the affair, caused him to speak with an 
unusual degree of animation. Mr. Munroe gave him the 
closest attention, asking questions, now and then, that 
showed a genuine sympathy with the speaker if not with 
his subject; and when he had finished, threw himself 
back in his chair with a sigh, saying in a tone whose 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


199 


sadness he made no attempt to conceal: “ Oh, Donald, 
my boy, how I envy you! May the mists of doubt never 
obscure that bright faith that now makes your life 
radiant! You have found the secret of true happiness, 
Donald, and you are richer than if you had found a 
diamond mine. It is not enough to believe the Bible. 
One must live it too. You have religion by the right 
end, God bless you; and so long as you hold it fast you 
will be a blessing to others and find abundant happiness 
for yourself. I repeat it, Donald ; I envy you with all 
my heart.” 

Donald stood looking at his friend with strangely 
mingled feelings. He had never heard him speak so 
strongly before; and while he was delighted at his unex¬ 
pected sympathy with him in regard to the Institute, he 
was touched to the heart by the sorrowful way in which 
he spoke; just as though the joys of Christian service 
were not for him, but had in some manner been forfeited 
forever. 

But before he could speak, Mr. Munroe, reading in his 
eyes the unuttered question and anxious to anticipate it, 
gave a sudden change to the conversation by asking 
some questions about the Institute in an altogether differ¬ 
ent tone. Donald saw clearly that the curtain of his 
heart, lifted for a moment, had again been dropped, 
and that it would not be expedient for him to attempt 
any intrusion. 

He could not help feeling disappointed. What Mr. 
Munroe had said aroused both his sympathy and his 


200 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


curiosity. What did he mean by the mists of doubt ? 
Donald had never doubted in his life a single verity of 
the Christian faith. Must everybody have doubts, and 
do they have the same effect upon every one as they 
seemed to have had upon his friend who, although his 
whole life was above reproach, was yet very different 
from the orthodox conception of a Christian? 

With these questions upon his mind, he prayed very 
earnestly for Mr. Munroe that night, asking God to clear 
away the mists of doubt so that he might be a happy 
Christian. And he prayed for himself, that he might 
always live in the sunshine of an unclouded faith, and 
never let the mists gather about him. 


CHAPTER XIX. 


THE INSTITUTE AT WORK. 

T HE Young Men’s Institute thus prosperously inau¬ 
gurated, went forward with vigor, and expanded as 
it progressed. At the second meeting the officers were 
elected and the permanent committees formed. It is 
needless to say that Mr. Sterling was made president. 
As vice-president, one of the graybeards was wisely 
chosen, thus enlisting the interest of the older men. For 
treasurer, a man in middle life was elected. Mr. Bell 
had the secretaryship unanimously conferred upon him, 
and then the general committee was composed entirely 
of young men, Mr. Randall, Mr. Heath, and Donald 
being the first three selected. In this manner a very 
satisfactory representation of the different elements in the 
congregation was secured, and the apprehensions of the 
ultra-conservative folk measurably appeased. 

The plan of the Institute as settled upon after pro¬ 
longed but perfectly harmonious discussion, contemplated 
several lines of work. First and foremost, of course, 
stood the religious work. This was divided into the 
inside and outside work, the inside comprising the ren¬ 
dering of all possible assistance to the pastor in the per¬ 
formance of his duties; for instance, by making it a 
matter of obligation to be present at the Wednesday 

201 


202 


DONALD GRANT'S DEVELOPMENT. 


evening service, and to take part in the exercises as 
opportunity offered. The inviting of friends—and 
strangers, too, if the chance presented itself—to the 
church service was also emphasized, and then the 
following up of any who might thus be influenced for 
good. 

But the especial feature of the inside work was the 
prayer meeting just before the public service on Sun¬ 
day evening. At this service there was always a large 
number of strangers, Mr. Sterling’s reputation as a 
preacher and the ushers’ reputation for courtesy to 
visitors being widely extended. The purpose of the 
prayer meeting was to plead for the divine blessing upon 
the whole service, so that it might be made instrumental in 
leading sinners to repentance. It was held in one of the 
Bible-class rooms and lasted just twenty minutes, closing 
ten minutes before the opening of the public service. 

Mr. Sterling put great faith in this prayer meeting and 
looked for manifest results from it. He told the Institute 
that with such help as that, he was better off than Moses; 
for while the patriarch had only two to hold up his hands 
if they grew weary, he had at least twenty, each one as 
eager as Aaron or Hur for victory in the name of the 
Lord. 

Then there was the outside work. At the outset, Mr. 
Sterling deemed it best that this should be confined to 
the holding of cottage meetings in the suburbs of the 
city, where there lived many people who rarely entered 
church or attended a prayer meeting simply because of 


DONALD GEANT ? S DEVELOPMENT. 


203 


their distance from such means of grace. In the northern 
part of the city a large number of artisans and clerks on 
scanty salaries had established homes for themselves 
where rents were cheaper. They were, for the most 
part, quiet, respectable people who would go to church 
if it were near at hand, but lacking such accommodation, 
had gotten into the way of spending their Sunday as 
they pleased, without taking any trouble to seek out 
opportunities of religious instruction. 

By visiting among these people, Mr. Sterling had 
ascertained their willingness to open their houses for 
cottage meetings; and having thus prepared the field, he 
now proceeded to turn into it the workers furnished him 
by the Institute. 

Naturally enough, Donald, Mr. Heath, and Mr. Randall 
were among the first he called upon for this service, and 
they were all pleased when he proposed that they three 
should go together. 

“ It is a rule of the Jesuits,” said he, smiling, “ that 
the members of the order should always be either alone 
or in threes. They are not allowed to go in pairs, the 
idea being that thus the growth of intimate friendships is 
guarded against. I have no such idea in suggestingthat 
you three should work together, but it seems to me you 
will make a good, strong corporal's guard, admirably 
adapted for the work to be done. Brother Heath can 
lead the singing, and Brother Grant and Brother Randall 
can divide the speaking and praying between them. 
Thus the burden of work will be fairly shared, and, of 


204 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


course, you can always make suck changes as seem 
expedient.” 

The arrangement thus outlined met with hearty ap¬ 
proval. Fred Heath possessed quite a good tenor voice 
and a respectable knowledge of music. Randall had 
a decided gift in prayer, and Donald’s talent certainly 
lay in the direction of public speaking; so that, thus 
working together, they would be able to supplement one 
another and be fully equal to the demands of any ordi¬ 
nary occasion. 

The meetings were to be held on Sunday afternoon at 
three o’clock; and the next Sunday after the completing 
of the organization of the Institute, the three young men 
set forth to an appointment already arranged by Mr. 
Sterling. The day was bright and clear, and they were 
in excellent spirits despite a certain feeling of nervous¬ 
ness common to all. They felt strong in their com¬ 
panionship, and were also pleased with a sense of the 
dignity of their position. For the first time in their lives 
they were on their own responsibility, not subject to the 
direction of some older head. Heath, in fact, was in a 
state of high good humor close approaching gayety, and 
felt constrained to make a longer face as they came into the 
neighborhood where their meeting was to be held. 

They were in the very outskirts of the city, where the 
streets raveled out, as it were, into a fringe of small 
cheap cottages, interspersed with vacant lots for the most 
part unfenced. Little knots of men loitered idly in the 
sun on the lee side of the street corners, smoking, and 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 205 

chewing, and talking. Women’s faces peered curiously 
out from the front windows at the passers-by, and in 
spite of the cold air, groups of children played in the 
snow as noisily as though they knew no difference be¬ 
tween Sunday and Saturday. 

So unpromising a state of affairs could hardly fail to 
throw a damper upon the young men’s enthusiasm. 

“ Prospects do not seem very brilliant for our meet¬ 
ing,” said Fred Heath, with a rueful look at the loung¬ 
ing men and shouting children. “ Sunday seems to be 
their day out around here.” 

“ I am afraid you are not far wrong,” assented Donald. 
“ They certainly do not look like people who would take 
much interest in a prayer meeting. But this is where 
Mr. Sterling wants us to begin, and that is the house 
where the meeting is to be held, just ahead of us.” 

The house was one of the largest in the neighborhood, 
and had a clean, well-kept appearance. As they ap¬ 
proached the door, it was opened by a middle-aged 
woman, who met them with a smiling countenance and 
cordial greeting: 

“ I was sitting at the window waiting for you to come,” 
said she, looking as pleased as if she would have liked 
to kiss them in turn. “ Mr. Sterling, God bless him, 
said you would be here by three o’clock, and here you 
are. The room is half full already, and there’ll be more 
coming in yet.” 

Thus talking, for with feminine instinct the good 
woman divined that the young men would be a little 


206 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


strange at first and need to be helped to feel at home, 
she ushered them into a large room that occupied one 
side of her house. Here they found themselves face to 
face with a gathering of about thirty persons, two-thirds 
of whom were women and children. They were seated 
on rows of chairs borrowed for the occasion by the mis¬ 
tress of the house, and had taken their places as far 
away from the chairs provided for the conductors of the 
meeting as they could get. Evidently they felt no less 
strange than did the young men. 

It had been settled on the way out that Donald should 
be the leader of the little meeting, and without waste of 
time he proceeded to business. A number of hymn 
books, brought for the purpose, were distributed among 
the audience, a familiar hymn given out, and then Fred 
Heath led off with his clear, sweet tenor. At first there 
was some hesitation, but presently more and more joined 
in until the volume of sound filled the house and poured 
out into the street, causing the children to cease their 
play that they might listen, and the loafing men to draw 
nigh in bashful curiosity. When the hymn was finished, 
Randall offered a brief, earnest prayer, after which 
Heath read a chapter from the New Testament. An¬ 
other hymn followed, and then Donald gave the address. 

After a good deal of thought, he had made up his 
mind that the best thing he could do was to take the life 
of Christ and speak on it, from time to time, so long as 
he should take part in the meetings. There was no por¬ 
tion of the Scripture with which he was more familiar 


DONALD GRANTS DEVELOPMENT. 


207 


than the Gospels. They had always held an especial at¬ 
traction for him, and he felt that it would be easier for 
him to prepare addresses suitable to the occasion from 
them than from any other part of the Biole. 

During the singing a good many more people had 
slipped into the room ; so that when he began to speak it 
was comfortably filled with an audience that seemed pre¬ 
pared to give him the closest attention. Greatly to his 
relief, he was not bothered by that excessive nervousness 
which had oppressed him at the debating society and the 
Institute meeting. He loved his subject; he had put 
his thoughts carefully in order before he left home; he 
felt inspired by the fact that at last he was being used in 
the Master’s service; and the eager, interested faces of 
his listeners seemed to be saying to him: “We know 
you have something to tell us that will be for our good, 
and we are so anxious to hear it.” 

No wonder, then, that both thought and word came 
freely, and that as he enlarged upon the significance of 
the Saviour’s advent, he spoke with such fluency and 
force that his companions were hardly less surprised than 
delighted. They had not expected him to display so 
many of the qualities of the orator, and they were at 
times strongly tempted to applaud his well-rounded sen¬ 
tences. 

As for the little congregation, even the children fell 
under the speaker’s sway and sat still upon the chairs, 
regarding him with wide-open eyes and listening to him 
with wide-open ears. 


208 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


Having spoken almost half an hour,—and it seemed 
to him only a few minutes,—he brought his address to a 
close with an earnest appeal to his hearers to let Christ 
into their hearts, that through him they might be born 
again, and become heirs of eternal life. Then came an¬ 
other hymn, and then a few words of prayer from Mr. 
Heath concluded the meeting. 

As the people passed out, the young men stood in the 
hall shaking hands with them, and inviting them to 
come again the next Sunday and bring as many of their 
friends as they could. 

“ Do not be afraid of too many coming. If you can¬ 
not all get into this room, we will hunt up a larger one,” 
called out Fred Heath, smiling brightly. “ Come one, 
come all, and bring your families.” 

There could be no doubt as to the promise of the new 
undertaking. If appearances were to be relied upon, 
Heath’s hearty invitation would meet a no less hearty 
response. Good Mrs. Johnson, the mistress of the house 
where the meeting had been held, was overflowing with 
gladness. 

“You have great gifts, my dear young gentlemen,” 
said she, regarding them with a look of undisguised 
admiration ; “ and oh, how beautiful it is to see you con¬ 
secrating them to the Lord’s service! I’m a proud woman 
to-day because of this meeting in my house. May God 
bless you, and may you live long to work for him as you 
are doing now.” 

The three friends had come to the meeting hopeful and 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


209 


cheery. They went away exultant. The result had been 
far better than their brightest expectations. The people 
had heard them gladly. The opening meeting had proved 
a success in every particular, and it only now remained 
to follow up the start so well made, in order that great 
good might be accomplished. 

“ Let us call at Mr. Sterling’s and tell him all about 
it,” suggested Heath, as they walked briskly back to 
town. 

'* Agreed,” said the others promptly. So they turned 
in the direction of the pastor’s residence. 

As it happened, he opened the door for them, and his 
face lighted up when he saw them. 

“Ah-ha!” he exclaimed. “You have come to report 
—that is good of you. Come right in and tell me all 
about it. I know it was a success. I can read that much 
in your faces, but I am eager for the details.” 

They all went into the drawing room, where Mrs. Ster¬ 
ling received them warmly, and drawing their chairs 
about the ruddy fire told, between them, the story of the 
afternoon. The pastor was greatly pleased at the recital; 
pleased that his new recruits had done so well in their 
first engagement, and pleased that they had been appreci¬ 
ated and secured a welcome for themselves when they 
went again. 

“ A grand beginning, brothers,” he cried, exultantly. 
“ You have found a field white unto the harvest, and with 
God’s blessing, many precious sheaves will assuredly be 

garnered from it. I love to look far ahead. I have great 

o 


210 


DONALD GKANT’s DEVELOPMENT. 


faith in the future, and it is my earnest belief that if we 
follow up faithfully the work begun to-day, before many 
years are past we will have flourishing churches estab¬ 
lished in the very midst of those neighborhoods that now 
have not even a Sunday school. Let that thought renew 
your strength and courage if they should seem to fail you 
at any time; for of course you will meet with discourage¬ 
ments. It will not be always as plain sailing as it was 
to-day, you know/’ 

“And now that your labors are over for the day,” 
added Mrs. Sterling, “ you must all stay and take tea 
with us.” 

The invitation was gladly accepted, and then the talk 
went on, the Institute and its different lines of work being 
the one sufficient subject. 

One feature of the inside work in which Donald took 
a lively interest, and which was to prove exceedingly 
useful, was the social and intellectual department. The 
organizers of the Institute of course clearly realized that 
there were many young men among the congregation for 
whom the religious work would as yet have very little 
attraction, or maybe none at all. Yet they were the very 
ones who ought to be particularly taken into account. 
Preparing the way for the founding of future churches 
in the suburbs was grand good work, but if it were to be 
looked after while the most important element in the 
community—the young men who would in time be the 
leaders in the different lines of life—was bein^ allowed 
to look after itself, a serious error would be made. 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


211 


Into this error Mr. Sterling and his associates did not 
fall. Side by side with the provision for religious activity, 
careful provision was made to meet desires for social and 
intellectual intercourse. Monday night had been decided 
upon as the regular night of meeting, and it was arranged 
that the character of the service should be alternate, the 
religious department being responsible for one Monday 
and the social and intellectual department for the other, 
and so on through the season. 

By unanimous vote, Donald had been elected chairman 
of the committee in charge of the latter department, and 
he entered heart and soul into the necessary work. His 
experience with his reading class at Rivervale now stood 
him in good stead. It had shown him clearly how general 
was the desire for mental improvement, and the way in 
which it might be developed. If the plain farmer folk 
of the settlement had appreciated their opportunity so 
keenly, how much more would the bright, shrewd, sharp 
clerks of the city. The methods would, of course, be 
different, but the principle underlying them would be the 
same. 

Associating with him half a dozen young men who had 
been pointed out by Mr. Sterling as competent helpers, 
Donald went to work to arrange for a course of readings 
and debates, that would give full opportunity for the 
members of the Institute to exercise their intellectual 
powers according to their inclinations. In this task Mr. 
Randall proved a most valuable lieutenant, and with 
occasional aid from Mr. Sterling, a programme was ere 


212 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


long mapped out that, if only taken up in the same spirit 
as that in which it was projected, would certainly prove 
a means of much benefit, as well as enjoyment, to those 
attending the meetings. 

Thus the Young Men’s Institute was not only launched, 
but successfully started on its voyage. As might be ex¬ 
pected, it had to stand much criticism and endure “ the 
obloquy of newness ” for a time. But if ever an innova¬ 
tion justified itself this one did, and the day was to come 
when the most persistent croakers would dare croak no 
longer, and those who had coldly held back would sorely 
regret that they had not taken hold at the outset, in order 
that they might have some share in the good results 
achieved. 


CHAPTER XX. 


HONORS ON A NEW FIELD. 

TT7TTH his entrance into active religious work, there 
* " came to Donald a sense of the grandeur and joy 
of life such as he had never known before. It was as 
though he had been making his way along a road from 
which but commonplace views were to be obtained, and 
then had suddenly reached a point whence a glorious 
landscape opened out before him. 

Never did the future seem so fair as now. In himself 
there was the impulse to go up to the help of the Lord, 
and ready at hand were the opportunities for rendering 
that help under the most favorable auspices. 

For such a nature as his the Institute was peculiarly 
adapted, and it was but natural that, regarding it from 
his own standpoint, he felt convinced that it could be 
adapted to all young men; and he made a promise to 
himself that he would do his best to introduce it at the 
Beechmount Baptist Church while he was home for the 
vacation. Since he had come to Chebucto, the venerable 
Dr. Stern hold had at last seen fit to resign his charge; 
and his successor in the pulpit, a young man as full of 
life and energy and modern ideas as the other had been 
lacking in them, was reported upon by Mrs. Grant in 
glowing terms of praise. 


213 


214 DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

“ I am longing for you to come home, Donald,” she 
wrote, “ for I want you to know Mr. Brookfield, and Mr. 
Brookfield to know my boy. I am sure you will take to 
one another at once. He is a splendid man.” 

From all accounts that came to him, Mr. Brookfield 
would be just the one to enter enthusiastically into such 
a scheme as the Institute if he deemed it feasible; and 
Donald looked forward with pleasant anticipations to the 
time when he would have the opportunity of presenting 
it to him. 

In the meantime his days and nights were fully 
occupied. In no degree were his studies permitted to 
suffer through his interest in other things. He considered 
that they held the first claim upon his time, and he had 
no thought of refusing to honor it. But he put careful 
method into his affairs. He planned his time so well 
that without neglecting any branch of his college work 
he could attend to the new demand upon his energies. 
In fact, in them he found recreation rather than labor. 
They were so different from the routine of the university, 
and so full of interest to him that they did not weary; 
they refreshed him. 

Nor did he neglect other modes of recreation. He 
brought his fondness for athletics to the city with him, 
and found full scope for the exercise of all his physical 
energies in the football games, which were a regular 
feature of college life until the frost closed the season; 
and then in the skating, for which the many lakes and 
ponds afforded an inviting field. 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


215 


Before the football season ended he won no small 
reputation as a player. The game had been played in an 
imperfect form at the academy, and he discovered that he 
had a good deal to learn when he first played with the 
students ; but with characteristic vigor he set himself to 
master the novel intricacies and by the end of a month 
he was thoroughly posted in all the rules of the play. 

The great event of each football season was the match 
between the city club and the university—the Town and 
Gown match as it was called. This always took place on 
Thanksgiving day if the weather permitted, and, if not, 
on the first favorable Saturday afternoon following. 
Donald had not been many times out to practice before 
the captain of the university club, one of the juniors, by 
name Brownrigg, noticing the vigor and judgment of 
his play, decided upon him as a promising candidate for 
the team. 

“ I hope you will put in regular practice between now 
and Thanksgiving, Grant,” said he, as they walked home 
from the field one afternoon. “ I need at least three more 
good men to make up my team, and none of the new 
fellows play the game that you do. With some more 
practice you will make a capital quarter-back.” 

Greatly elated at this pleasant praise from so high an 
authority, Donald readily promised to be as regular as 
possible at practice. So every fine afternoon—and all 
the autumn afternoons are fine in Chebucto—he wended 
his way to the football field for a good hour of running, 
dodging, kicking, collaring, tumbling, and tripping, thus 


216 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


keeping himself in fine physical trim in spite of long 
hours in the classroom and over his books at home. 

As Thanksgiving day drew near, the football match 
became the all-engrossing subject of interest among the 
students. The qualifications of each possible member of 
the team were canvassed and criticised as though the 
fate of the country depended on their wit and wind and 
limb. Captain Brownrigg had many eager applicants 
for the few vacancies there were to fill. Donald, how¬ 
ever, was not among these. He felt within himself that 
he ought to be in the team, but he did not say so even to 
Mr. Munroe. If he were asked, he would promptly con¬ 
sent. If he were passed by, only he would know of his 
disappointment. 

The rule was for the team to be made up a full week 
before the match, and then to play together in the 
succeeding practice. Donald’s hopes were high as he 
hastened out to the field on the afternoon when the 
captain’s selection would be made known. He did want 
with all his heart to be a player in the great annual 
match. 

He had been detained some little time by Prof. Madill 
keeping him after the lecture for a talk, and when he 
arrived the play seemed about to commence. His heart 
sank within him. 

“ There, now,” he exclaimed, bitterly, “ I have not 
been chosen. The sides are already made up, and they 
are just beginning to play. I have half a mind to turn 
back.” 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 217 

Just at that moment, Captain Brownrigg, who had 
been looking anxiously about, caught sight of him as he 
stood irresolute. At once he beckoned frantically to 
him, shouting loudly: 

“ Hurry up, Grant, we’re all waiting for you. Get 
off your coat, quick.” 

The revulsion of feeling wrought by this greeting 
fairly electrified Donald, and in a trice hat and coat 
were thrown aside and he stood ready for action. 

“ You are to play quarter-back on the right side of 
the scrimmage, Grant,” were Brownrigg’s directions. 
“ Play your prettiest now. They are nearly two to our 
one.” 

The plan adopted was for the team to play together 
against the rest, no matter how many they might be, and 
after this fashion the practice went on every afternoon 
up to the day of the match. 

Donald felt very proud of having been chosen, and 
particularly because so arduous and important a position 
had been assigned to him. He would have full oppor¬ 
tunity to exercise his speed and endurance to the utmost, 
and the morning of Thanksgiving found him in such a 
state of excitement that it must be confessed he heard 
very little of Mr. Sterling’s sermon, and remembered 
less. 

The day proved as fine as heart could wish, bright and 
clear, cool enough to render exertion easy, but not so 
chilly as to make spectators uncomfortable. The match 
took place upon the grounds of the city club, and early 


218 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


in the afternoon the stands were filled with spectators 
representing both the university and the city. Promptly 
at three o’clock the two teams appeared on the field and 
were greeted with a round of cheers. The college colors 
were black and yellow, those of their opponents, the 
Wanderers, black and red. Both sets of players looked 
extremely well as they took up their positions, the stu¬ 
dents seeming a somewhat heavier lot, the Wanderers 
more wiry and agile. By mutual consent Prof. McLeod 
was appointed referee. He had been a famous player in 
his college days, and the city boys had no less confidence 
in his impartiality than in his knowledge of the game. 

It would take too long to follow closely the course of 
the contest. Amid cheers and shouts and college cries, 
the thirty strong and swift young men battled earnestly, 
but good-humoredly, for the possession of the leather 
spheroid; and now fortune favored the black and red, 
and again it veered around to the side of the black and 
gold. During the first half no point was gained on 
either side, so evenly were the teams matched, and after 
the usual rest they took their places again, each man 
determined that something decisive should be done. 

After fifteen minutes of intense and exciting strug¬ 
gling, a tremendous volley of cheers announced that the 
Wanderers had won a touchdown. They had slowlv 
forced the ball into their opponents’ territory. The Uni¬ 
versity full-back had fumbled the ball at a critical mo¬ 
ment, and their lightning quarter-back, an amateur 
sprinter of renown, had made the most of the opportu- 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


219 


nity. Happily, however, the place-kick failed, and the 
touchdown was not converted into a goal. Then the two 
teams nerved themselves for a final struggle, and then, 
as it happened, came Donald’s opportunity. 

He had been doing grand work up to this point. 
Many a charging Wanderer had he cleverly tackled and 
stopped in his wild career. Many a useful plunge into, 
or dodge around, the opposing rush line had he made, 
gaining more or less good yards every time. But not 
one favorable chance for a run into the goal presented 
itself until within five minutes of the end of the last 
half. 

The ball had been worked down by the black and red 
inside the University twenty-five yard line, and the aspect 
of affairs was decidedly blue. Confident of securing an¬ 
other touchdown, the Wanderers’ captain signalled for 
it to be snapped back out of the scrimmage to the light- 
footed sprinter. The latter snatched it up and started 
to run around the rush line, while the rushers of his 
team pressed forward to support him. 

Donald, grasping the situation in an instant, darted 
like an arrow to meet the runner, and as they met he 
struck the ball, held tight under the other’s arm, a sharp 
blow with the palm of his hand that sent it flying from 
his grip. Hardly had it touched the ground than, quick 
as a flash, he picked it up and started for the Wander¬ 
ers’ goal, while the whole mass of spectators broke out 
into a wild roar of delight at the brilliancy of the feat. 

Only two of his opponents were between him and the 


220 


DONALD GRANTS DEVELOPMENT. 


goal—the half-back and the full-back or goal keeper ; 
and the former, having imagined that the play would 
be on the other side of the field, had to run diagonally 
in order to meet him. This half-back was a sure tackier 
but a slow dodger, and Donald, as he ran, conceived his 
action accordingly. 

Hard as he had been working hitherto, he was still 
comparatively fresh and strong; for he possessed rare 
powers of endurance. Inspired now by the prospect of 
winning a touchdown that could hardly fail to be made 
into a goal, and thrilled as with electricity by the shouts 
of the spectators rolling across the field iD great waves 
of sound, he shot down the open space at a speed that 
left all the other players hopelessly behind. 

Bearing down upon him from the left came the 
Wanderers’ half-back, his face set in fierce determination. 
Once his powerful grip fastened on the daring runner, 
his career would be brought to a full stop. But that was 
not to be. Just as, with arm outstretched, he sought to 
hurl himself upon the black and yellow jersey, Donald 
suddenly stopped short and then darted off to the left, 
while his foiled opponent, missing his grip, pitched for¬ 
ward prone upon the turf; and the almost frenzied on¬ 
lookers rose from their seats, yelling and screaming as 
though they would fain split their throats. 

The full-back, seeing his comrade’s downfall, now 
planted himself right in front of the goal posts, resolved 
not to charge until he was quite sure as to Donald’s direc¬ 
tion. On came the latter, the ball held tight under his 



Donald Grant. 


Page 220. 






















































































DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


221 


arm, and every nerve and muscle strained to their 
utmost. At what he thought to be the proper moment 
the goal keeper threw himself upon him. Instead of 
evading the charge, Donald met it squarely. The two 
collided with a thud that was audible half-way down the 
field. For one thrilling instant they seemed to be inex¬ 
tricably tangled up, then Donald, still retaining the ball, 
was seen to roll out of his opponent’s grasp, to pick him¬ 
self up with panther-like agility, and although staggering 
slightly,—for the shock had told upon him,—to complete 
his wonderful run by pressing onward until he was right 
behind the centre of the goal, where he touched the ball 
fairly down just one moment before the fleet sprinter 
precipitated himself upon his back, flattening him out on 
top of the ball! 

Never had such cheers been heard on the Wanderers’ 
field before as then made the welkin ring. The fact that 
a University player had secured what would probably be 
a decisive advantage did not lessen one whit the vigor of 
the applause of the Wanderers’ friends ; and the students, 
it need hardly be -said, became for the moment something 
akin to howling dervishes. 

Then came a lull; for the place-kick was to be tried 
and all held their breath to watch the issue of the attempt. 
Captain Brownrigg took the responsibility, and with a 
gentle kick sent the ball in graceful, parabolic flight over 
the very centre of the crossbar. Once more cheers 
broke out. It was a beautiful goal, and the black and 
yellow now had the best of the game. 


222 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


In the few minutes of play that remained the Wan¬ 
derers made heroic exertions to add some more points to 
their score, but in vain; and the final result was a goal 
as against a ‘‘ try ” in favor of the University. 

The moment Professor McLeod called “ time,” the 
members of his team made a rush for Donald, lifted him 
up on their shoulders, and bore him to the pavilion in 
triumph, where a perfect ovation awaited him at the 
hands of his opponents, who showered congratulations 
upon him for his splendid run. 

Many a good game of football did he have after that, 
and many a hardly contested match did he take part in; 
for, like a wise youth, he kept up his interest in that fine 
form of physical exercise to the end of his university 
course. But never again had he the opportunity to 
achieve quite so brilliant a performance as at his first 
match, and the story of that wonderful run is still told at 
Chebucto and the scene of it pointed out to admiring 
Freshmen. 

Not long after the football season closed the skating 
season opened. Chebucto offered every possible facility 
to the skater for the enjoyment of that glorious sport. 
About the city, aside from the covered rinks, there were 
numerous ponds, large and small, -which asked but little 
frost to turn them into shining mirrors; and then by 
crossing the harbor and walking a mile into the country, 
you reached a chain of lakes lying amid forests of spruce 
and pine, upon which you could speed for mile after mile 
into the heart of a romantic wilderness. 


DONALD GRANT'S DEVELOPMENT. 


223 


There was always plenty of skating at Rivervale, and 
Donald had mastered the art in a rather rough, rustic 
fashion, perhaps, but sufficiently well to make the exercise 
a pure delight to him. One morning at Chebucto, after 
the Frost King had been busy for some days, Donald 
found by his place at the breakfast table a package 
which, on being opened, proved to be a beautiful pair of 
spring skates—a present from his ever-thoughtful friend. 

“My skating days are over,” said he, when Donald 
warmly thanked him. “ I was very fond of the exercise 
once. But now I shall have to do it by deputy, and I 
want you to be my deputy this winter. You will think 
the lake a perfect fairyland if I am not much mistaken.” 


CHAPTER XXI. 


A TIMELY SERVICE. 

O N the first Saturday that was favorable for skating 
on the lake Donald, with two of his fellow-students, 
set out for this “ fairy land,” as Mr. Munroe had called it. 
The afternoon was a glorious one, and having left the 
smoke and dust and din of the city far behind, they were 
presently standing at the foot of the first lake. 

Straight before them and spreading out on either hand 
lay a glistening expanse, whose polished surface, as it 
flashed back the bright sunshine, seemed to be saying, 
“ Come and enjoy me. I am to be trusted implicitly.” 

Three unbroken miles in length and more than one in 
width, the icy plain awaited them in its virgin purity. 
With feverish haste they snapped their Acmes on and 
dashed laughingly upon the ice. 

‘•Now, fellows,” shouted Donald, as he shot away, 
“ let us see who can get to the head of the lake first.” 

His companions promptly responded to the challenge, 
and the three were in a moment reveling in the su- 
premest luxury of motion. The crisp, cool air seemed 
charged with electricity, and the blood bounded through 
their throbbing pulses. 

“ Isn’t it simply glorious? ” cried Donald, as they sped 
on toward the farther shore, every stroke of their steel- 
224 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


225 


shod feet counting for a good three yards at least. He 
was in an ecstasy of delight, and put forth such exertions 
as to nearly distance his companions. 

Presently the fir-clad shores drew together until they 
seemed to meet and put a bar to further progress. But 
no—a cunning turn to the right, a quick dash over the 
dangerous spot where the restless current prevented the 
ice from growing as thick as it ought to be, and behold, 
Donald was out upon the second lake, still larger than 
the first, and dotted here and there with tiny evergreen 
islets that looked like emeralds in a silver setting. 

He waited for the others here, and then the three went 
on more slowly together, exploring the passages between 
the islets and the snug sequestered coves that broke the 
shore line of the lake. It was an experience of unal¬ 
loyed enjoyment for Donald. He had never before found 
such delight in skating, and he felt profoundly grateful 
to Mr. Munroe for providing him with the means of 
obtaining such inspiring pleasure. 

But this afternoon was to be memorable to him not 
only because of the happiness the skating afforded him. 
He was to render a service to Prof. Thomson, the one- 
armed Professor of Classics at Chebucto University, that 
made the day one not to be forgotten by either his teacher 
or himself. This was the way in which it came about. 

There were a good many skaters on the lakes that 
afternoon, and among them was Professor Thomson, who 
did not allow his loss of one arm to put any restraint 
upon the use of his two legs, and was accordingly quite 

P 


226 


DONALD GRANTo DEVELOPMENT. 


an enthusiastic skater. As the early dusk of the winter 
evening came on, Donalds companions thought that they 
had all better be getting home, but he was very loth to 
leave the lakes that seemed even more fascinating with 
the deepening shadows throwing a veil of mystery about 
their distant reaches than they did in the full glory of 
the sunshine. So he bade them push on ahead, and he 
would, after a little, catch up with them. 

This was near the top of the second lake, and when 
the other two took him at his word he was left quite alone 
as he thought, and he found a peculiar pleasure in being 
so. For a little while he dallied in the apparent solitude 
of ice, and then with a sigh of regret that he had to leave 
it turned to follow his companions. 

He had not gone many yards when there came to him 
through the still evening air a sound that seemed 
strangely like the cry of “ Help! ” He wheeled about 
and peered eagerly in the direction whence the sound 
came, but could make out nothing save a dark spot on the 
ice in one of the coves that suggested nothing human ; so 
swinging round he struck out once more, when again the 
cry of “ Help! help! ” this time repeated so that there 
could be no mistake about it, smote upon his ears. 

He was not one to refuse any such appeal, and as the 
dark spot in the cove seemed to be the only possible 
source of the cry, he hastened toward it with strenuous 
strokes. As he neared it, he saw a human form, and 
coming closer was amazed to recognize the long, sharp 
face and attenuated figure of Professor Thomson. 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 227 

“ Ah, Grant,” said the professor in a tone of relief, yet 
without any trace of pain or anxiety, “ I am very glad 
you heard me. I am very much afraid I have broken 
my leg, and you will have to help me off the ice, and get 
me back to town somehow.” 

As much taken aback by the composed way in which 
this was said as by what it meant, Donald stammered 
out, “ Broken your leg, sir. Surely not.” 

In spite of his suffering, Professor Thomson smiled at 
his earnestness. “ There is no doubt at all about it, 
Grant. My right leg is broken just above the ankle. 
How can you get me to the road, do you think ? ” 

Donald looked about him. There was not even a 
board within sight out of which a sort of toboggan might 
have been extemporized. He was nonplussed for the 
moment, and regarded the helpless professor lying there 
so patiently in blank bewilderment. Suddenly a scheme 
flashed into his mind that seemed feasible. 

“ Just wait a moment, sir,” said he. “ I think I can 
manage it.” 

Darting over to one of the islets, he pulled out his 
pocket knife and proceeded to cut down a small spruce, 
about the size of an ordinary Christmas tree. Hastening 
back to Professor Thomson with this, he unfolded his 
plan. “ I am afraid it will hurt dreadfully, sir,” said he, 
“ but I cannot think of anything better. If you will just 
put your arm around this tree and hold on tight, I will 
drag it down the lake until we reach the road, where 
we will no doubt be able to get a wagon.” 


228 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


The professor looked at the tree and smiled. “ It is 
not for those in such desperate straits as I am at this 
moment to be over particular,” said he. “That will 
not make an easy conveyance, but it seems the best we 
can do.” 

So, without a groan or murmur, although the agony 
must have been indescribable, he clasped the spruce 
tightly, and Donald, seizing it by the butt, set out 
sturdily upon his toilsome task. It was a tremendous 
undertaking for both; but the only alternative was to 
leave the injured man upon the ice. 

Right manfully Donald tugged away, and most heroic¬ 
ally the professor bore his suffering until at last, after 
many pauses for rest, the bottom of the second lake was 
reached. Here, to the great joy of both, there were some 
other skaters still lingering. These gladly came to 
Donald’s assistance, and he, leaving the professor in their 
hands, went on to the foot of the lake where there were 
some houses beside the road. At one of these he obtained 
an express wagon. In the bottom of this was placed a 
thick mattress and plenty of blankets, and so the sufferer 
was taken carefully to his home. 

In spite of the trying circumstances surrounding hi3 
accident, Professor Thomson recovered from its effects 
with remarkable rapidity, and seemed never to weary 
of manifesting his gratitude to Donald for the timely 
service he had rendered him. He presented him with 
a handsome volume as a memento of the occasion, and 
throughout the whole of his college course showed warm 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


229 


interest in him that was very much appreciated by 
Donald himself. 

Thus, in study and in recreation, in work for himself, and 
in work for the church of Christ, the winter months slipped 
rapidly and happily away. Donald’s letters home—and 
he was a faithful correspondent—were always full of 
bright description and cheery comment that made them 
the delight of the home at Rivervale. The whole settle¬ 
ment there was interested in his career, and it even ex¬ 
tended to the village, where Mr. Patterson received 
regular accounts of the progress of his favorite pupil. 


CHAPTER XXII. 


A YOUNG PEOPLE’S CHUr.CH. 

HAT a regular steam, engine you are, Donald! ” 



said Mr. Munroe to him one evening, with an 


admiring look. “ You go straight on day after day and 
night after night, without ever seeming to get tired or 
wanting to rest for a while just for a little change. 
What with your studies and your church services and 
your Institute, you are as busy as a bee in clover time. 
You really make me feel ashamed of myself—poor use¬ 
less idler that I am.” 

The last words were spoken with a shade of bitterness 
in the tone that did not escape Donald, and he answered 
them rather than what went before them. 

“ Indeed you are not a poor useless idler,” he cried, 
indignantly. “ If any one else than you dared to say 
that I would knock him down. What would lever have 
done without you ? and I am not by any means the only 
one to whom you have been good. I have heard more 
about your kind and generous doings than perhaps you 
imagine.” 

A wonderfully pleased look came into Mr. Munroe's 
pale face, chasing away the frown that it had worn the 
moment before. 

“ My dear boy,” said he, earnestly, “ it is very good of 


230 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


231 


you to say such nice things, and they do me good, because 
I know you mean them; and it is an inspiration to find 
you putting so much faith in me. For whatever help it 
has been my good fortune to be able to render you, Don¬ 
ald, you have already repaid me a hundred fold. The 
very way you go about your work stirs me up and makes 
me desirous of being some kind of a worker myself.” 

They had a long talk together on this line that night, 
in the course of which Donald—as delicately as possible, 
for he knew his friend’s sensitive nature—urged him to 
seek in religious work the field of work he felt he ought 
to enter; and although Mr. Munroe with graceful skill 
parried his arguments, yet not in any way making light 
of them, there was something in his manner and spirit 
that caused Donald to feel very hopeful that this would 
be the outcome ere long, and to pray for his friend hence¬ 
forth with stronger faith than ever before. 

In his Institute work Donald found increasing pleas¬ 
ure. The Sunday afternoon meetings were becoming 
such a success that they now had to be held in a hall in 
order to accommodate the congregation, and the people 
were already talking of putting up a building during the 
summer in which Sunday-school as well as service could 
be held. 

He had no difficulty in obtaining assistance from other 
members of the Institute in the carrying on of the meet¬ 
ings. Indeed, so many were willing to lend a hand that 
an evening service during the week was also established, 
which soon grew to satisfactory proportions. 


232 


DONALD GKANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


The inside work of the Institute was no less successful. 
The Monday evening meetings steadily increased in in¬ 
terest, and Mr. Sterling had cause for no other feelings 
than pride and satisfaction in regard to the new de¬ 
parture. 

“ There will be other churches in this city and else¬ 
where following our example before long/’ he said to 
Donald, as they walked home together one evening. I 
have had several of my fellow-pastors making inquiries 
of me, and have even had letters from other places on 
the same subject. Believe me, Grant, the day is not far 
distant when no self-respecting church will consider it¬ 
self properly organized without something like our Insti¬ 
tute. What a glorious day for our church that will be 
when its young people, no longer confined to the limited 
sphere of the Sunday-school, but admitted into partici¬ 
pation in active work to the full extent of their capabili¬ 
ties, come up to the help of the Lord against the mighty 
forces of evil, singing and shouting in all the ardor and 
hopefulness of their young strength ! God grant that I 
may live to see it.” 

Donald listened with glistening eyes. It was an 
inspiring prospect that the preacher outspread before 
him. 

“ Indeed, I hope you will, sir,” he responded, fervently. 
“ And that I will too. As soon as I can after I get home, 
I am going to see if an Institute cannot be started in 
connection with our church in the village. Old Dr. 
Sternhold resigned some time ago, you know, and there 


DONALD GKANT ? S DEVELOPMENT. 


233 


has come in his place a young man—Mr. Brookfield— 
who mother says is just full of life and spirit, and the 
very kind of man to take hold of such a thing 
heartily.” 

“ Be sure you do, Grant,” answered Mr. Sterling, giv¬ 
ing him an affectionate clap on the back. “ I know 
something of Brookfield, and he is just the man to take 
a good grip of a new idea like our Institute. If you 
will let me know when you are about to open fire on the 
subject, I will write him a letter telling him my expe¬ 
rience.” 

“ Oh, that will be capital! ” exclaimed Donald. I 
will certainly let you know when to write.” 

And so it was settled between them that they two 
would do their best to assist in getting an Institute or¬ 
ganized at Beechmount during the university vacation. 

This vacation was not far off now, and with the near* 
ing of the close of the college year Donald’s devotion to 
his studies increased. He allowed himself no other 
recreation than he found in religious work, and early 
and late bent over his books, preparing for the approach¬ 
ing examinations. 


CHAPTER XXIII. 


THE CLOSE OF THE COLLEGE YEAR. 

HE university examinations were held during the 



JL last two weeks of the month of April in each year. 
Only written examinations were held. The time did not 
permit of oral ones, and a high standard of excellence 
was required in the answers. 

Donalds chief, indeed it might be said only, anxiety 
so far at least as “ passing ” was concerned, was the ex¬ 
amination in mathematics. With regard to the other 
subjects he rightly enough felt quite at ease. What 
worried him most about the mathematics was that 
the more he worked at them the more confused his 
mind seemed to get. The hard problems became only 
harder, and the much desired solutions all the more 
aggravatingly evasive as he knitted his brows over them 
night after night. 

In this emergency there came to him relief from an 
unexpected quarter. Among his classmates was one with 
whom he had never been able to become in any wise 
intimate. He was a Scotch school teacher from a remote 
country district, who seemed to have no desire to make 
the acquaintance of any one of his fellow-students. He 
lived entirely to himself, and was evidently as poor as 
he was proud. But he was a marvel at mathematics. 


234 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 235 

If he was strong in mathematics, however, he was weak 
in classics. His early opportunities had been very slight. 
It was all hard, uphill fighting for him, and without 
Donald knowing it, this man, by name Lindsay, had 
been watching the ease with which he surmounted the 
difficulties of translation or grammar that bewildered 
him. 

To Donald, then, one day just a fortnight before the 
examinations, came this man, and in his own awkward, 
abrupt way made a proposal that the other accepted 
without hesitation. 

“ Mr. Grant,” said he, with a curiously eager look in 
his dark gray eyes as though he greatly feared the failure 
of his mission, “ you have no trouble with your classics. 
They seem to come naturally to you just as mathematics 
do to me. But you don’t find the mathematics quite so 
easy, any more than I do the classics. So I thought 
perhaps we might help each other if you would be willing. 
There is a whole fortnight yet. Could we manage to 
work together for a couple of hours each day? We 
would go over all the work, you know, and what one did 
not know the other could tell him.” 

As much delighted as surprised by this unlooked-for 
but most welcome request, Donald answered, heartily: 

“ That is a splendid idea, Mr. Lindsay, and I am so 
glad you have proposed it. I have many a time envied 
you the way you would polish off those dreadful problems 
as if you thought them fun, and I am sure you can help 
me immensely in getting ready for the examinations; 


236 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


and of course I will be only too glad to help you all I 
can in the classics.” It was accordingly so arranged. 

With a much lighter heart, Donald toiled away at his 
books, and presently the examinations began. It was, 
however, upon the whole an anxious fortnight. Mr. 
Munroe noticed this, and rallied him about it. 

“What on earth are you worrying about, Donald?” 
said he, apropos of a tremendous sigh that had just 
escaped from the other’s breast. “Surely you do not 
mean to pretend that you are troubled in mind as to how 
you will come out. My dear boy, you just ought to be 
ashamed of yourself. I know you work with all your 
might, and I have good reason to believe that you do not 
forget to pray.” It was a wise and well-meant reproof, 
and Donald made no attempt to evade it. 

On the eagerly anticipated day when the results would 
be declared, Donald’s heart was thumping against his 
ribs as he pushed his way through the crowd and at last 
succeeded in getting in front of the blackboard, which 
was placed in the corridor of the university. With 
anxious eye he scanned the momentous lists. The first 
one he caught sight of was mathematics. 

“Hurrah!” he exclaimed, “I have gotten a good 
second class.” 

Then he hunted for the modern languages. “ Better 
still! ” was the joyful cry, “ I am in the first class.” 

A little distance away were the classics and literature 
lists, side by side. By dint of an extra effort he got 
before them. And now he felt like flinging his hat to the 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


237 


ceiling and hurrahing at the top of his voice ; for this is 
what the lists told him: 

In English literature he stood easily first, with a per¬ 
centage of ninety-two, and in classics he was also first 
with a percentage of ninety-five! 

Many were the congratulations he received upon his 
winning two prizes ; for although these were never very 
costly affairs, it was the honor, not the value, that the 
students regarded. 

“ I am as proud of you as if you were my own brother, 
Donald,” said Mr. Munroe, on hearing the good news. 
“ Dear me! ” he added, “ some day, I suppose, when you 
have become famous and I, if still alive, am just an in¬ 
significant useless individual, people will be saying about 
me, ‘ That is poor Munroe. He used to be the great Mr. 
Grant’s teacher, and now see how his pupil has out¬ 
stripped him.’ ” 

Donald laughed merrily at this, for he saw it was only 
said in jest. 

“ You are altogether too hard on yourself, Mr. Mun- 
roe,” he responded. " I don’t think there is much fear 
of your only claim to fame being that once upon a time 
you were my teacher. You will have something far 
better than that to boast of before you are many years 
older.” 

Mr. Munroe smiled and shook his head in mock des¬ 
pondency. 

“ It is very good of you to say so, Donald, but I am 
afraid you are a partial prophet, and you like to predict 


238 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


what you know will be pleasing. However/’ he added, in 
a lighter tone, “ maybe there is a good time coming even 
for me. Let us talk about something of more importance. 
When do you intend to start for home ? ” 

Donald’s intention was to start the morning after Con¬ 
vocation ; but his friend stoutly objected, as he had 
planned to give a dinner in his honor on the evening of 
that day, and he was determined to carry out his purpose. 
So Donald was persuaded to postpone his departure for 
one day. 

The Convocation ceremonies were very brilliant and 
Donald, the only student to carry off two class prizes, 
came in for thundering rounds of applause when he went 
up to the platform to receive the books that were awarded 
him. 

Mr. Munroe’s dinner the following evening was a 
delightful success. Among the guests, of whom there 
were no less than twenty, were nearly all the professors 
of the university, and several of the students who had 
distinguished themselves; nor did the ever-thoughtful 
host overlook Mr. Lindsay, to whom the perfectly 
appointed entertainment was something of a revelation. 


CHAPTER XXIV. 


HOME MISSIONARY WORK. 

"VTEXT morning Donald bade good-bye to bis kind 
-ki friend, though not before he had received his promise 
to pay Rivervale a visit during the summer, and began 
his journey homeward. He was in the happiest possible 
frame of mind. The whole world seemed to him as full 
of hope, of cheer, of brilliant prospects, as it was of sun¬ 
shine on that glorious spring morning. He felt like 
smiling into the face of every one he met, and telling 
something of the good fortune that had befallen him. 

Among the passengers wa3 an old gentleman who, after 
watching him for some time with evident interest, at last 
addressed him as he was passing down the aisle of the car: 

“ Pardon me,” said he, with grave courtesy, “ but are 
you not a son of Grant, the carpenter, of Rivervale ? ” 
“I am, sir,” answered Donald, recognizing in his 
questioner, Mr. Miller, the wealthy banker of Beech- 
mount. 

“ You have been attending the university, I believe,” 
continued Mr. Miller. “ I would like to hear how you 
succeeded. Sit here beside me and tell me, won’t you ? ” 
“ I will with pleasure, sir,” replied Donald, glad to 
find some one to whom to speak his mind ; and taking 
his seat beside the banker he entered into a graphic 

239 


240 DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 

account of his life at Chebucto, describing the university, 
its different professors, the Debating Society, and the 
students, and so on for hour after hour while the train 
sped swiftly onward. 

During the remainder of the journey Mr. Miller kept 
Donald at his side, and when the coach which they had 
taken at New Edinburgh dashed down the main street 
of Beechmount in its usual impressive manner, and 
drew up before the door of the principal hotel, he shook 
hands with him very cordially, saying : 

“I have enjoyed your company greatly, Donald 
Grant; you have made what would otherwise have been a 
tedious journey very pleasant for me. I shall want to 
see more of you. You may hear from me again before 
* long.” 

Donald knew enough of the old banker to understand 
that such warm, kind words came very rarely from his 
thin, firm lips, and that therefore he had a right to feel 
highly complimented. When he repeated to his father 
what Mr. Miller had said, Mr. Grant opened his eyes in 
wonderment. 

“Why, Donald, my son,” he exclaimed, “you surely 
have found what many another has looked for in vain, 
and that is the way into old Mr. Miller’s heart. I never 
knew of words like those coming from his mouth before. 
But you have always been a rare hand at making 
friends,” he added, giving his son a glowing glance of 
proud affection. 

The big express wagon with Mr. and Mrs. Grant, Hugh, 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 241 

the eldest, and Meg, the youngest, member of the family, 
had come into the village to meet the coach, and the 
loving greetings showered upon Donald fairly brought 
the tears to his eyes. 

“ If the folks at home were so glad to have him back, 
was it not selfish of him to go away at all,” he thought. 

For a week he gave himself up to idling, pure and 
simple, and then he began to consider what he would do 
during the long months of vacation. He could, to be 
sure, make himself useful at home by assisting in the 
farm work ; but if it were possible, he wanted to obtain 
some employment that would be remunerative, and thus 
enable him to add to the slender fund upon which he 
had to depend to pay his way through the university. 

This, however, would be no easy matter. There were 
no schools requiring teachers, and no position vacant in 
any of the village stores. It seemed, therefore, as 
though he would have to give up the idea when the 
mail-bag, one evening, had a letter for him in an un¬ 
familiar hand, which proved to be from Mr. Miller. 

“ I would like to see you at your first opportunity. I 
have something to propose to you that may be to your 
advantage.” 

That was all. Mr. Miller was a man of few words. 
But Donald needed nothing more, and somehow divining 
what the banker had in view, went off the next morning, 
bright and early, to call upon him. 

He was very graciously received, and after some gen¬ 
eral conversation, Mr. Miller made known his object in 
Q 


242 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


sending for him. Hitherto, he had attended to his bank¬ 
ing business without any assistance, but he was begin¬ 
ning to find it too onerous, especially during the summer 
season when the bulk of the village business was done. 
He accordingly thought he would allow himself a clerk, 
and if Donald cared to accept the position, it was open 
to him at a salary of ten dollars per week until he had 
to return to college. 

How Donald’s heart leaped for joy as he listened to 
Mr. Miller stating this in his calm, deliberate way! It 
was a most attractive offer in every respect, and without 
a moment's hesitation he accepted it, at the same time 
expressing his heartfelt gratitude for the thoughtful 
kindness that had prompted its being made 

This was the beginning of Donald’s clerkship, which 
continued to the entire satisfaction of his employer and 
himself up to within a few day3 of his return to Chebucto. 

He now found himself in a particularly favorable po¬ 
sition for carrying out the purpose he had brought from 
Chebucto with him, namely, the organizing of an insti¬ 
tute in connection with the Baptist Church of Beech- 
mount. He had made the acquaintance of Mr. Brook¬ 
field, the new pastor, shortly after his return, and had at 
once been warmly attracted to him, just as his mother 
predicted. 

On making known his idea to Mr. Brookfield, he had 
been met with a very hearty response. The young pas¬ 
tor, eager to meet the needs of his congregation at all 
points, so far as possible, had been giving much thought 


DONALD GKANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


243 


to the young men, who seemed to have no better way of 
spending their evenings than to lounge about the hotel 
steps, or loiter aimlessly around the post-office, if they 
did no worse. His heart went out to them in great long¬ 
ing to bring them under better influences, and the 
scheme of the institute seemed to him full of promise in 
that very direction. 

“ I cannot thank you enough, Mr. Grant, for the new 
ideas you have given me, and I trust I may count upon 
your kind assistance in putting them into practice here. 
I will write to Mr. Sterling without delay, to ask his 
counsel, and I feel very sanguine of great good coming 
out of this scheme, if it is only faithfully carried out.” 

But, of course, this meant delay. In the meantime, 
however, Donald was not idle. His business position 
brought him into constant contact with other clerks, and 
he lost no opportunity of cultivating their acquaintance, 
so that it was not long before he knew the majority of the 
young men of Beechmount. More than this, whenever 
the chance presented itself, he sought to arouse in them a 
desire for self-improvement. He dilated upon the delights 
of reading, and offered freely the loan of his books. He 
also had much to say about the Institute of Calvary 
Church, and how interesting its meetings were, the lively 
debates they had, and the enjoyable evenings of music 
and readings and addresses. 

Thus he sowed the seed during the summer months, co¬ 
operating with Mr. Brookfield in the work of preparing 
the way for the public submission of the scheme, which 


244 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


would take place as soon as the approach of autumn 
turned people’s thoughts indoors, so to speak. 

It was an exceedingly happy summer for all the occu¬ 
pants of the white cottage at Rivervale. Business had 
been brisk in the shop for some time past, the farm gave 
promise of unusually fine crops, and everybody was in 
the best of health and spirits. 

To make the family circle and the family joy complete, 
Charlie, the sailor boy, one day made his appearance and 
was welcomed with exuberant rejoicing. His ship was 
laid up for repairs at a neighboring port, and the captain, 
in whose favor he stood high, had kindly given him a 
fortnight’s leave to visit his home. 

He had grown into a handsome youth during his year 
at sea, and the mother’s heart was glad that her keen eyes 
detected no signs of any falling into evil habits; the happy 
truth being that in spite of all temptation he had been 
sturdily faithful to the pledge given his father before he 
went away, and had come back with as clear a record as 
he took away with him. 

He, of course, at once divided with Donald the atten¬ 
tions of the household and of the neighbors, but Donald 
was not jealous. He felt as proud of his handsome sailor 
brother as Charlie did of his brilliant student brother, 
and the two were united by the closest affection. 

Charlie’s passion for the sea had not been diminished 
by actual experience of its peril and hardships. On the 
contrary, he was more enthusiastic than ever; and in view 
of his quick intelligence, his dauntless courage, his exem- 


DONALD GRANTS DEVELOPMENT. 


245 


plary character, and high ambition, there seemed no 
reason to doubt that if no mischance befell him, he would 
within a few years be in command himself instead of 
serving under another. 

About the beginning of August, Mr. Munroe paid his 
promised visit and remained for a month at Rivervale, 
where his gentle, genial manner made him increasingly 
beloved. He was much interested in the scheme of 
starting an institute in the village, and promised if it 
were carried out, to contribute a number of books that 
might form the nucleus of a library for the use of the 
members. Before he went away, he made Donald promise 
to spend another winter with him in Chebucto. 

“ You are really necessary to my happiness, Donald,” 
he said in his sweet, half-serious, half-humorous way. 
“ And I could not bear the idea of your being in the 
same city with me and not under my roof.” 

Donald, in truth, wa3 but too glad to consent, so that 
the matter did not take long to -settle. 

Mr. Brookfield and he had decided that early in Sep¬ 
tember would be the right time to launch the proposed 
institute. Accordingly, on the first Sunday of that 
month, the pastor announced that a meeting would be 
held for the purpose on the following Tuesday evening. 
By this time the leading members of the congregation 
had been thoroughly canvassed, and either their support 
secured, or their curiosity aroused in advance. There 
was therefore good reason to expect a large attendance 
at the meeting. 


246 


DONALD GRANT'S DEVELOPMENT. 


Among others whom Donald had sought to interest was 
his employer. Mr. Miller seemed fond of drawing him 
into conversation, and even of having discussions with 
him on various subjects, so that he had no difficulty in 
introducing the subject of the institute. But the banker 
appeared very sceptical, if not indeed contemptuous. 

“ I have little faith in that notion,” he said, with one 
of his grim smiles. “ It will last only until the novelty 
wears off, and then the cry will be for something newer.” 

Of course, Donald protested that there was not the 
slightest fear of anything of the kind occuring, and that 
the provision for the utilizing of the young people in the 
extension of the work of the church was a magnificent 
conception, which could not fail to have the most bene¬ 
ficial results where wisely carried out. He even quoted 
Mr. Sterling’s glowing prophecies as to the future. 

To all this Mr. Miller listened without any indication 
of yielding assent, and Donald decided that no counte¬ 
nance nor assistance could be expected from him, although 
he was one of the chief financial supports of Mr. Brook¬ 
field’s church. 

The meeting took place on the evening appointed, and 
in the church itself. To the great delight of the two 
promoters the building, by eight o’clock, was nearly as 
full as on a fine Sunday morning. Many, of course, had 
come out of pure curiosity, but there were also many 
others present who had become deeply interested in the 
scheme, through having been talked to about it by either 
the pastor or Donald. 


CHAPTER XXV. 


BY WAY OF CONCLUSION. 

A FTER devotional exercises Mr. Brookfield briefly 
stated the object of the meeting, and then called 
upon Donald for a fuller explanation. As the latter 
rose to his feet, there was a rustle of excited expectation 
through the large audience, and every eye was fixed 
intently upon him. The prophet was in his own coun¬ 
try, now, and among his own countrymen ; and strange 
to say, they were prepared to honor him. Accounts of 
his achievements at Chebucto, in both intellectual and 
physical spheres, had been from time to time made pub¬ 
lic by Mr. Patterson, and stirred the pride of the village. 
Since his return he had, by his frank, natural man¬ 
ner, made friends on all sides, and this was the first 
opportunity there had been of hearing him speak in 
public. 

By dint of practice, Donald had pretty well gotten the 
upper hand of the nervousness that tried him so severely 
in his early efforts; but the present occasion was in many 
respects so peculiar, that he would have had to be made 
of adamant if his nerves had not been in a quiver as he 
faced those who were waiting for his words. 

Regardless, however, of his nervousness, Donald, in a 
steady voice, began his address, and with a sigh of satis- 

247 


248 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


faction at his promising start, the audience settled down 
to listen attentively. 

His idea had been that he would speak for not more 
than fifteen or twenty minutes, and confine himself to a 
description of the Institute at Calvary Church, leaving 
to Mr. Brookfield the appeal to the people to establish a 
similar organization in Beechmount. But when he got 
into the full flow of thought and language, and found 
his listeners growing more and more interested, he en- 
tirely forgot his original purpose, and allowed himself to 
be carried away by the inspiration of the occasion. 

He had just gotten well started when who should 
quietly enter the church but Mr. Miller. Donald ob¬ 
served his entrance, but it did not disconcert him in the 
least. On the contrary, he said to himself: 

“I am glad Mr. Miller has come in. I will just think 
I am arguing the case with him alone, and trying to 
answer all his questions and remove all his objections/’ 

So he thenceforth addressed himself to the banker, 
who sat listening attentively, with half-shut eyes, from 
which every now and then he shot quick glances of 
approval at the youthful speaker. Whatever he thought 
of his arguments, he certainly was pleased with the man¬ 
ner in which they were being presented. 

It was nearly an hour before Donald brought his ad¬ 
dress to a close, yet there were no signs of flagging in¬ 
terest on the part of his audience. After describing in 
detail the Calvary Institute, he had gone on to tell of 
the good work it was doing in the suburbs of the city, 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


249 


and of the expectations Mr. Sterling confidently held of 
the fruits of the work. He then gave an attractive ac¬ 
count of the intellectual and social features of the Insti¬ 
tute’s work—of the lively debates, the interesting read¬ 
ings, the good music, and the delightful gatherings, when 
the members of the congregation met in the church par¬ 
lors as in a private parlor for purely social intercourse. 

Having thus gone well over the ground, he felt an 
irresistible impulse to continue by making a direct appeal 
to the young men of Beechmount. He knew every one 
of them, and the temptations to which they were exposed. 
He believed with his whole heart that the Institute 
would help them to meet those temptations, and be of 
incalculable value in the direction of self-improvement. 

With impassioned earnestness, therefore, he besought 
them to unite heartily with Mr. Brookfield for the good 
purpose in view, and concluded by announcing the offer 
made by his friend in Chebucto, of a number of appro¬ 
priate books to form the nucleus of a library. 

When he resumed his seat the people, forgetting for 
the moment that they were in the church, broke out into 
a hearty round of applause. His speech had been a 
complete success, and had made a profound impression, 
particularly upon the young men, the very ones he was 
most anxious to influence. They were ready at that mo¬ 
ment if the question were put, to vote unanimously for 
the organization of an Institute right away. 

Before inviting' the collective opinion of the meeting, 
however, Mr. Brookfield said, rising to his feet with a 


250 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


glowing face, for Donald’s fervent words had stirred him 
to the depths, “We have all listened to Mr. Grant’s 
eloquent address with the growing conviction that the 
time has fully come for the establishment of an Institute 
in connection with our church, and we cannot be suffi¬ 
ciently grateful to our young brother for the whole- 
souled way in which he has advocated this admirable 
scheme, and prepared the way for its being put into exe¬ 
cution. And now the meeting is open to our friends. Let 
there be a free and frank expression of opinion, so that 
we may understand one another perfectly at the outset.” 

For a few moments there was silence, and then old 
Deacon Gooderson, the patriarch of the church, slowly- 
lifted his saintly head, and in a faint yet clear voice, said: 

“The sands of my life are fast running out. I can no 
longer help in good works except by praying for them, 
but this let me say: I am convinced that this Institute 
-will be a great blessing to us, and my last days will be 
brighter for the knowledge that it is in our midst. I 
earnestly trust that it may be established at once.” 

Others followed in the same strain. There were some 
questions asked, but no adverse comments of any kind 
made, and Mr. Brookfield, satisfied that nothing more 
needed be said, was about to call upon the meeting for a 
united expression of opinion, when he observed Mr. 
Miller rising to his feet, and paused in order to give him 
an opportunity to say what was in his mind. 

The banker’s voice was not often heard in public, but 
when he did speak what he said was generally accepted 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


251 


as conclusive, for there was not a stronger, clearer, wiser 
head than his in Beechmount, and his wealth, of course, 
lent additional weight to his opinions. 

“ I must confess,” said he, in his dignified, deliberate 
way, “ that I came here to-night largely out of curiosity. 
But I have been deeply interested by what I have heard, 
and am glad to observe that this meeting is about 
unanimous as to the propriety of giving this new scheme, 
so vigorously laid before us, a fair trial. I cannot, my¬ 
self, take any active part in the enterprise, but have 
much pleasure in offering an annual subscription of one 
hundred dollars toward its current expenses.” 

Again the audience broke out into hearty applause. 
Mr. Miller’s speech might not be as eloquent as Donald’s, 
but its concluding sentence completely removed one ob¬ 
stacle that the proposed organization would have to face, 
namely, the question of expense. 

“ I feel like calling upon you to join with me in 
singing the doxology,” said Mr. Brookfield, his face 
beaming with delight, as Mr. Miller took his seat again. 

“ But before doing that I will ask you to express your 
feelings in another way. Will all those who are in favor 
of an Institute being formed in connection with this 
church, signify it by standing up.” 

Instantly the entire audience rose, and stood lookiug 
at their young pastor. 

“Now,” he cried, “let us all sing ‘ Praise God from all 
blessings flow.’ ” 

Like one person the large gathering burst forth into 


252 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


the psalm of praise, and the waves of melody went out 
into the village streets, making the passers-by wonder 
what kind of a service was going on within. 

An hour or more was spent in the election of the 
officers, the result being that the pastor was chosen as 
president, Mr. Miller, Mr. Patterson, and Donald as 
vice-presidents, a middle-aged merchant as treasurer, a 
live young lawyer as secretary, and six excellent young 
men to constitute the committee together with half as 
many ladies. 

During the remaining month of his vacation, Donald 
was indefatigable in promoting the interests of the young 
society. Hardly a day passed that he and Mr. Brook¬ 
field did not consult together concerning it. Mr. Miller 
paid his first annual subscription as soon as the treasurer 
was ready to receive it, and by general consent one-half 
the amount was appropriated to the purchase of periodi¬ 
cals and papers for the reading-room, that was to be an 
important feature of the Institute’s attractions. 

Mr. Munroe did not forget his promise, but sent down a 
goodly case of books,—some from his own shelves, some 
fresh from the booksellers,—which made a promising start 
for a library. Especial stress was laid upon the reading 
room and library because of the conviction of their value in 
winning young men from the street at night, and thereby 
bringing them within the circle of religious influence. 

The principal feature of the religious work of the 
Institute wa3 the young people’s prayer meeting on Fri¬ 
day evening. It was not deemed expedient to attempt 


DONALD GBANT’s DEVELOPMENT. 253 

anything more at the outset, but personal work was con¬ 
stantly urged upon the active members. 

By the time Donald had to return to resume his 
studies at the university, the Institute was in full swing, 
and giving every promise of unqualified success. 

“ You have rendered us a service that can never be 
repaid to you here, my brother,” were Mr. Brookfield’s 
parting words. “ Your reward must come from above. 
But the prayers of the Institute will follow you, and 
God’s best blessings will be entreated on your behalf.” 

Five years! An age in prospect, but dwindling to a 
span in retrospect. They were busy happy, eventful years 
for Donald, during which his development, intellectually 
and spiritually, went steadily forward. 

Two of them were spent at the university, where he 
grew in favor with professors and students alike, until he 
graduated at the top of his class, and with the highest 
honors ever conferred in the history of the university. 

As a matter of course, his class chose him to deliver 
the valedictory. He accepted the commission gladly. 
His college days had been the richest, happiest, most 
helpful period of his life. He felt himself overflowing 
with gratitude toward the teachers, with whom hi3 rela¬ 
tions had been uninterruptedly cordial, and he evoked 
round after round of tumultuous applause as, in periods 
glowing with fervor and admirably modelled, he pic¬ 
tured life at the university as it had presented itself to 
him. 


254 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


“ The best valedictory we ever heard,” was the unani¬ 
mous verdict of both professors and public. 

During his vacations Donald continued to be Mr. 
Miller’s clerk, and each year found him occupying a 
larger place in the old banker’s heart. In the course of 
the summer following his graduation, Mr. Miller suddenly 
passed away, leaving a large fortune, the greater portion 
of which went to religious and benevolent institutions; 
for he was almost alone in the world. His love for 
Donald manifested itself in one of the codicils. It was 
very brief, but entirely to the point; and by it Donald 
became possessed of the sum of ten thonsand dollars, “ to 
be applied by him to the completion of his studies, or in 
any other way that he might see fit.” 

When Donald learned of his good fortune he was 
ready to shout aloud for joy, but not simply on his own 
account. Like a flash, he made up his mind as to the 
disposal of this godsend. He would divide it equally 
with his father, and devote his own half to the completion 
of his studies as his benefactor had suggested. 

Mr. Grant was growing old, and finding the double 
burden of the shop and farm pressing too heavily upon 
him. The shop needed a complete outfit of new tools and 
machinery, the farm was too scant of itself to provide a 
maintenance. All this Donald knew well, although his 
brave, loving father would fain hide it from him. 

Oh! how delightful it was to be able to say: 

“ Here, father, are five thousand dollars. Fit out the 
shop with the best tools and machinery. Double the 


DONALD GRANT’S DEVELOPMENT. 


255 


bounds of your farm. Buy stock and implements of the 
most improved kind, and then, with Hugh in the shop, 
and Bob and Harry on the farm, you can take it easy for 
the remainder of your days.” 

Mr. Grant at first protested against accepting the gift, 
but Donald soon overcame his scruples. 

“ My dear father,” said he, the tears coming into his 
eyes as he spoke: “would you deny me the sweetest 
pleasure in this world ? Can T ever fully repay you for 
what you and mother have done for me, and do you think 
that I could enjoy one dollar of Mr. Miller’s legacy if I 
knew that you were toiling away here under such dis¬ 
advantages? You know I could not. No—no—father, 
if you won’t take half you must take the whole; for I 
will not touch a dollar of it on any other conditions.” 

So Donald had his way. An adjoining farm on the 
Harbor Boad was added to the Grant possessions. 
Horses and cattle and other stock were purchased, a 
fine set of farming implements procured, while quiet, 
faithful Hugh rejoiced in an equipment of tools and 
machinery that enabled him to successfully compete with 
any other carriage builder in his territory. 

Having thus disposed of one-half his fortune, Donald 
with the other half continued his preparation for the career 
he had in view. After much thought and prayer, and 
consultation with Mr. Sterling, and other friends whose 
counsel he valued, he had decided to enter the ministry. 
The divine call seemed clear beyond all question, and his 
heart responded to it gladly. 


256 DONALD GRANT S DEVELOPMENT. 

To his three years at Chebucto University were added 
three more at the leading Baptist Theological school in 
the United States. He was then ordained, and it was 
surely no mere coincidence that his first call should be to 
the very church which had, as Mr. Sterling had so confi¬ 
dently predicted, grown out of the work undertaken by 
him in fear and trembling in connection with the Calvary 
Church Institute. 

One of the largest contributors to the building fund of 
the new church had been Mr. Munroe, who in an unob¬ 
trusive way was administering his estate for the benefit 
of humanity. Before Donald’s course at the university 
ended, his friend had come to stand with him upon the 
same enduring foundation of faith, and had dedicated hi3 
life to the service of God and his fellowmen. Every 
meritorious, religious, or charitable enterprise found in 
him a generous donor, and the list of his benefactions 
lengthened as his years increased. 

And now the time has come to part with Donald Grant. 
Not that the story of his development reached completion 
with the beginning of his ministry. That event simply 
marked a new and higher stage through which, however, 
we cannot follow him now. Steadfast, zealous, untiring, 
he labored with rare success, ever finding fulfilled in his 
experience the sweet and blessed truth of the text that 
the “ fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he that 
winneth souls is wise.” 


THE END. 


















































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